


Pink Like Strawberry Juice

by mez0_vision



Series: DR: Yasuraoka [1]
Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, Dangan Ronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc
Genre: I dont know what to put for tags, Leon Kuwata - Freeform, Multi, Original Character(s), POV First Person, POV Original Character, Pain, Romantic Friendship, Trigger Happy Havoc, Unresolved Romantic Tension, Violent Thoughts, a lot of dialogue from the game sorry, a lot of unnessecary stuff because leon is my cc, angst???, apparently people dont like first person but oh well, danganronpa - Freeform, danganronpa oc - Freeform, danganronpathh - Freeform, drthh, if you couldnt handle dr dont read this, leon kuwuwata, leonkuwata, mention of kanon nakajima, slower pacing, sorry - Freeform, the first death doesnt occur until after 100k words lmao, thh - Freeform, thh but if my oc was in the game, trigger happy havoc but with an oc, triggerhappyhavoc, warning for intrusive thoughts, warning for mention of sewing needle, warning for violence, warnings for the stuff in the game
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-18
Updated: 2021-03-10
Packaged: 2021-03-13 20:15:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 20
Words: 104,477
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28534284
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mez0_vision/pseuds/mez0_vision
Summary: Somehow, Etsuko Yasuraoka has been given the title of Ultimate Seamstress, and has been invited to join Hope's Peak 78th class. On the day of her arrival, everything falls apart, and she's been trapped in a killing game! While it is hard for them to adjust, they find solace in spending time with some of their classmates, but the looming sense of despair makes them worry for their friend's fates, as well as their own.(updates every wednesday and on every weekend)
Series: DR: Yasuraoka [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2090301
Kudos: 7





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> please look at the warnings, there are many mentions of intrusive thoughts, many moments of the narrator pinching their thigh, and there will be mentions of sewing needles. same warnings as what happens in the trigger happy havoc game as well. also, i update this every wednesday and on the weekends!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey! thank you for taking the time to check this out! i just wanted to let you know before reading this, that this chapter is very underwhelming compared to my other ones. i am trying to revise it so it is actually bearable to get through, but it's a struggle. i just hope that this chapter doesn't discourage you too much from continuing to read it.

“So, this is Hope’s Peak Academy,” I murmur to myself, and I can hear my heart beating rapidly in my chest. Not only was I nervous about starting at a new school and meeting new people, but I worried that my talent was fairly useless compared to all the others I had read about online. Ultimate Author, Ultimate Baseball Player, Ultimate Affluent Progeny, they all sounded like they could have a future. Heck, even an Ultimate Lucky Student sounded more useful than what I was. With the increase of factory production, and the increase of the cost of materials needed to display my talent, it seemed I was destined to a mundane future. I could barely think of the last time I could afford materials I really needed, and scraps of fabric weren’t enough for me to create the thing I wanted to most. Plus, I was the worst at trying to publicize my creations. Stepping into the school, the light pink walls calmed my nerves a little. It is one of my favorite colors, and I feel my chest start to release the tension twisting inside of it. As I head forward, my head starts to pound. It was nothing out of the ordinary, I was prone to headaches and general pains throughout my whole life. It wasn’t surprising, so I continue to walk down the hallway, trying to find anything that mentioned some kind of opening ceremony. I’m sure they included the location in the orientation letter they sent home, but for some reason, I couldn’t recall it at all. As I walk towards the bare bulletin board mounted on the nearest wall, I feel myself grow dizzy and crash down onto my knees, my head held stiffly between my hands.

“What...what the hell is happening to me?” my voice seethes, and all of a sudden, I am surrounded by darkness, the fuzz in my brain not relieved. When I peel my eyes open, I startle, a drastically different room surrounding me. Wiping my weary eyes, I notice all the pain is gone from my body, instead there was just a hazy confusion stuck inside the walls of my skull. Looking around the room, I nearly grimace at the crude decision of animal print wallpaper, it hurts my eyes to look at. Big metal plates are secured along one wall, laughably large nuts and bolts holding them up. What the hell even is this? Awkwardly, I stand from the uncomfortably small chair I had apparently taken a nap in. With one last glance around the room, I move over to the door, twisting the knob forcefully. The sight of a security camera had sent my heart racing, and my hand drifts down to the faintly red spot on my thigh. The hallway I step into is a little less hard on the eyes, but it still is equally odd. This is Hope's Peak Academy? I seriously doubted it. This has to be some kind of dream. Frequently, I would dream of attending school, only for something horrible and terrifying to happen to me. They were usually so realistic I had to convince myself after waking up that it had never happened. This has to just be one of those times. So I take another step forward, looking myself up and down. The baggy sweater I am wearing is no different than the one I arrived here in, it was the same cool beige. My skirt is slightly wrinkled from underneath the hem of the sweater, and the collar of my undershirt is popped, so I quickly fix it. Stray hairs fall down over my face, past my bangs, obscuring my vision, and I blow them out of my eyes. I should find an exit, I think to myself, and look around at the signs above the doors until I find one that appears to lead to an exit. Stepping through the doorway, I see something strange. People I have never met before stare back at me, each of them lined up in front of some weird looking door. It nearly looks like the door to a vault, and I jump back a little at the sight of two guns hanging from the ceiling.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed this brief introduction to the story! I am aware that many fanfiction readers don't like first-person, so I hope that if anyone reads this it isn't too horrible. lots of love! <3


	2. Chapter 2

“Hello! Are you here to attend the first day of school?” someone calls out to me, and I notice it was from someone with spiky purple hair. His eyebrows are interesting, pointing upwards at the ends as if he was fixed with a stern expression. His blazing red eyes stare at mine, and I am astonished by his fancy appearance enough to just stare, dumbfounded, back at him. 

“Such insolence, well, are you here for classes or not?” Another voice scoffs, and I can’t help but notice how smooth yet stern the voice sounds. I see someone, who is quite taller than me, staring me down at the other side of the room. His blond hair is cut off at the nape of his neck, and he pushes his glasses up haughtily, like smart guys in anime do. “Hello? I asked you a question?”

“Oh, yeah, I’m here for my first day at Hope's Peak, but I’m not sure I’m in the right place,” I manage, a long sigh leaving me once I finish my sentence. A sharp pain on my thigh makes me realize the tall blond was talking to me again. 

“As expected of such an unworthy plebeian, you can barely get your words out, let alone speak them loud and clearly enough for others to hear. How impolite.” he says again, and I feel my fingers pinch the spot on my thigh again, increasing the pressure. This is just a dream, I remind myself, but barely feel any better after thinking so. 

“Sorry,” I say, making sure my voice is louder. I surely wasn’t meaning to be impolite. 

“Tch,” the blond looks away, focusing his attention at the doors again. 

“I don’t have any idea what this is all about either,” the purple haired one nearly shouts, his arms stiff at his sides. “Let me introduce myself, I am Kiyotaka Ishimaru, the Ultimate Moral Compass.”

I feel my face flush at meeting someone so impressive. I’d heard of him before, apparently all of his life, he’s been an honors student, and was extremely intelligent for someone our age. And apparently he upheld rules to the highest degree too, growing a stern and uptight reputation. I take a step towards him, the pit in my stomach easing slightly. “Wow, you must work really hard. Seriously, I’m so impressed, you’re super cool!” I enthuse. If this is a dream, which there was no way it wasn’t, it was best to get practice at expressing myself to other people. 

Not expecting my words, Kiyotaka’s face reddens before nodding, “Why thank you. I try my best at all times. I am a firm believer in bold simplicity!” His stance relaxes at his last sentence, his lips curling in a small smile. 

“Bold...simplicity…” I echo, trying to figure out just exactly what he means. I look back up at his intimidating figure, and conclude that he really does seem to be able to be described as bold and simple. It’s a little contradictory in my mind, but it’s already so foggy I doubt I’d be able to rap my mind around it. He’s still looking down at me expectantly, and I realize I haven’t introduced myself. “Oh, sorry, I’m Etsuko Yasuraoka, Ultimate Seamstress.” I still wasn’t sure myself how I acquired the talent, but I guess the world works in mysterious ways. 

“Seamstress, huh,” I hear the blond from before’s voice murmur in thought, before he scoffs again. I’m sure he meant for me to hear his unimpressed noise. 

Kiyotaka holds out his hand, and I take it, then am pulled into the strongest handshake I’ve ever experienced. “It sure is a pleasure to meet you, Etsuko!”

“Yeah,” I say, my attention moving over to the silent girl who is studying our interaction, then she looks back at the strange door. She’s insanely pretty, with long purplish silver hair, and deep purple eyes. A black bow wraps around some of her hair that has been weaved into a tight braid, and she looks perfect. My face flushes deeply, already intimidated by her. Everyone in this room is impressive, I feel so small and weak compared to everyone’s overbearing presence. I wave bye to Kiyotaka, and debate whether I would be able to talk to the pretty girl. She doesn’t look very interested in conversation with me, so I look to the other person in the room. Scarily, it’s another really pretty girl. Who knew my mind could imagine such raw beauty in a dream? Her deep vermillion eyes hold amusement, and she looks over at me kindly. I walked over to her, deciding to introduce myself. Unlike the other girl, she has a more mischievous and mysterious smile on her face. “Hello, I am Celestia Ludenberg.” She says, her hands intertwining underneath her chin. Even her voice, which is marked by an interesting and cute accent, is as impeccable as the rest of her. I would worship the ground this girl walks on with no complaints already. 

“Etsuko Yasuraoka,” I say, “you’re the Ultimate Gambler right?” I say, vaguely remembering what I had read on forums. 

“Indeed,” she says, leaning forward intently. I finally notice the ring on her index finger, and I smile. 

“Wow, that’s such a cool ring! You’re styled like a goth Lolita, that’s super cool!” 

She smiles, and this time it is a little bigger and more genuine than last time. “I didn’t expect you to be someone who knows about this subculture,” she says in her refined voice, “I’m pleasantly surprised.”

“I’ve actually made a dress in that style once. I’m the Ultimate Seamstress.” I shrug. I wonder if I do look dumb to some of the people here. 

“Oh, maybe I could commision something from you,” she giggles a little, and I nod.

“Of course! That would be fun!” 

She twirls a finger around some hairs closest to her face. “My, my, you are very excited despite this situation, huh?”

It’s a dream, I tell myself. “Situation? You mean the ugly wallpapers in the classroom?”

She giggles again. “Not just that, but why would Hope's Peak install such brutal weapons over there?” She raised one perfect finger to the guns near the door, her eyes flickering back to see my blank expression. 

“This is an elite high school right? I assume it’s for security,”

“Are you sure?” She says suddenly, and I’m taken aback by her intense gaze. “I suppose that could make sense? But what if that is not the case?”

Before I can think about that worrisome idea, a new voice bursts through the room. “Wow, so this is Hope’s Peak, I didn’t expect it to be so absolutely lame!” The voice is high pitched and I look over to the owner, and recognize her face. It’s a little different than I remember, but I suppose all magazines these days use photoshop on their models. Walking towards the group from the doorway is the Ultimate Fashionista, Junko Enoshima. I would feel honored if something I made was worn by her, but I suppose that I wasn’t well known enough, even as the Ultimate Seamstress, for her to wear a piece. Not that I had made many pieces in the first place, I usually didn’t distribute whatever I made, but kept it to myself. A large sentimental attachment grew between me and whatever I made because of all the hours I would spend making it. I suppose the only way the school knew of my ability was the couple dresses I had posted online anonymously, which received widespread positive feedback. “What are you staring at?” Junko rolls her eyes in my direction, and I flush and turn away. Even if her face didn’t exactly match what I had seen before, she is still really pretty. 

“Hello, there! All of us are here for Hope’s Peak, huh? Don’t bother answering, I’ve already predicted it!” someone new booms as they stepped in. Balancing in one of his hands was a glass ball, and he haphazardly shook it side to side in his palm. Behind me, Celeste laughs, probably because it wouldn’t take much to guess that we were all here for Hope’s Peak. The newest person to walk in the room puzzles me, because he looks a good few years older than a high school student. A few stray strands of hair rest on his chin, like he didn’t notice that his beard was growing back. His braided hair flies out in every direction around him, and I am a little puzzled how he managed to make it stay like that. “I’m Yasuhiro Hagakure!” I hear him say to Kiyotaka, who is greeting him with just as much enthusiasm as he did with me. The purple haired girl stays studying everyone who enters and the door, her finger resting quizzically on her chin. 

“W-W-Wow,” I hear someone new mumble, and I recognize her from the forums online. Toko Fukawa, the Ultimate Writing Prodigy, really just walked into the room! I love reading, and I enjoyed her recent love story. It was so impressive for someone so young to have such skill! Immediately, just thinking of all her accomplishments made me nervous about meeting her. I guess that she noticed my stare, because she flies her hands in the air and steps away from my direction “N-No! S-stop staring at m-my ugly face!” she cries. 

“Huh?” I am taken aback by her sudden declaration. “That’s not it! You aren’t even close to ugly!” I try to reassure, but she exclaims another ridiculous thing before speed walking in the opposite direction, one thumb clenched in between her teeth. 

“What the fuck is going on here?” I see someone new standing in the doorway. And, holy shit! He’s even more intimidating than the other guys! And his hair is crazy! It’s styled in some kind of twist in front of his head. It looks like a...choice. “Seriously, what bastard put me in some ugly ass classroom!” His clenched fists raise, and his eyebrows furrow. He looks at us all, his eyes slowing down when spotting certain people, almost as if he is sizing people up for someone he can fight. 

“Please! Refrain from using profanity in the school environment!” Kiyotaka asserts, and the new guy looks even more displeased. He takes a few broad steps forward to reach Kiyotaka, and a vein pops at his temple. 

“And who the fuck are you, thinking you can tell me what to do?” He’s so close to the other boy at this point, the end of his...hair is nearly brushing down on Kiyotaka’s forehead. Without even knowing at first, I step closer towards the two, as if I could do something to halt the impending violence. 

“I am Kiyotaka Ishimaru,” Kiyotaka greeted, nodding his head. He didn’t look very intimidated by the other, instead his smile curled slightly in a smirk, as if he had already won whatever conflict was going on between the two. “And we are in the school environment, it is not wise to use profanity in such a prestigious school!”

The taller one crosses his arms, leaning back and averting his eyes, suddenly disinterested in what was happening. “You can’t fucking tell me what to do. I’m a man, I’ll live life as I fucking please!” 

Kiyotaka smiles, before pointing, “Again, the profanity! It seems you are compensating for something with that attitude.” I am a little taken aback by Kiyotaka’s sudden sass, if that was what it was. 

Taking Kiyotaka by his pristine collar, he yells, “Oh, I’m not compensating for nothing, bastard!” I can see Byakuya’s grimace from the wall behind them. He’s looking down his nose at them, despite the angry one being taller than him. I kind of understand it, an outburst like this isn’t really necessary.

Kiyotaka shoves the taller one off of him, then bows deeply. When he stands back up, with amazing posture, he holds out his hand for a shake. “I am Kiyotaka Ishimaru!” It seems like he’s dropped the topic. I guess he realized it’d be best to drop it, the taller one doesn’t look like someone who let’s another person have the last word. “Ultimate Moral Compass,” Kiyotaka adds when the taller one stares at his hand indecisively. 

The taller one sighs, then smirks, “Mondo Oowada, Ultimate Biker Gang Leader,” 

“How useful,” the blond one rolls his eyes, then turns his attention to the newest one at the doorway. 

“H-Hello? Am I in the right place?” a voice, small and timid, calls out. In the doorway is a short girl, wearing an impressively puffy skirt. Her hair is barely past her jawline, and this is probably the first person I’m not weirded out or intimidated by. I wave to her, and, after a moment of hesitation, she walks over to me and Celeste. “Hello?”

“Hi, I’m Etsuko Yasuraoka. I like your skirt.” I say, and then motion for Celeste to introduce herself. She does, and the girl looks a little more comforted now that there are two people who made space for her. 

“I’m Chihiro Fujisaki, the Ultimate Programmer. Are you sure we are in the right place for orientation?”

“Honestly, I don’t really know,” I say, before I’m interrupted by someone else shouting. 

“Yo, what’s up!” the voice calls out, and I look over to see a redhead by the doorway. He looks really cool, and I admire his earrings and rings from afar. As he walks closer to the group, I see that he has a piercing on his chin. He really is selling this punk look. “I’m Leon Kuwata!” he looks around the room, his eyes slowing at each girl in the room. When his silvery gaze lands on me, I immediately stiffin. He looks me up and down, before moving on to look at Chihiro. After looking at her, he walks forward to start a conversation with her. I can’t help but wonder what made him decide to talk to her out of everyone else. If I had his type of confidence, I wouldn’t waste a second trying to talk to the purple haired girl. Chihiro anxiously glances at me and Celeste right before Leon starts talking to her about something. I don’t want to intrude on their conversation, so I turn back to the next person at the doorway. 

I shouldn’t be surprised with how intimidating all these people are, but this person’s aura is unmatched. Her long white hair spirals down over her muscles, and her arms are crossed over her bulky chest. Scars are across her face and biceps, and I feel my jaw drop. She is probably one of the most impressive people here. Surely, she’s like the Ultimate Body Builder or something. The only thing that strikes me as odd about her is her choice of clothing. For what I assume is an athlete, I don’t understand the choice of a skirt. I’m no athlete, but I do have some knowledge about athletic wear after researching it a little. It’s true that skirts can make your legs be able to move more freely, but there’s a limit on how high you can kick, or how high you can jump in those, unless you're wearing shorts underneath, Closing her eyes calmly, she walks forward, not going towards anyone in particular. Shortly after her, another girl walks in, her chest heaving up and down and she trails after the muscled girl. She starts up a lively conversation, and I can’t help but notice how beautiful the both of them are. The second girl is curvy, and her hair is tied upward in some kind of ponytail. I think I recognize her as the Ultimate Swimmer, but I haven’t a clue what her name is. Kiyotaka is headed towards Leon and Chihiro, probably to introduce himself to them. It seems he finally ended his bickering with Mondo.

Next to arrive is a portly guy, and I can’t really believe how his hair sticks up at the top. He looks around to introduce himself to us all, but is interrupted by a girl walking in front of him. She has flowing blue hair that is tied back on one side with a barret. Hearing her dainty footsteps, Leon turns to look at her, only for his jaw to go slack. 

“Wow, it’s the Ultimate Pop Sensation!” he grins, wishing Chihiro goodbye to talk to her. I hear Kiyotaka sigh from behind me as he introduces himself to Celeste. “Hey there,” the red head starts, but Sayaka gives him a small smile and his face goes red. “Uh-”

“Hey, I’m Sayaka Maizono,” she says, and turns to look around the room. She walks towards the Ultimate Swimmer, and Leon follows closely behind her like a lost puppy.

Everyone is talking to each other, trying to figure out what’s going on, or trying to make a friend. The only ones keeping to themselves is the purple haired girl and the blond guy with glasses. For a couple minutes, everyone chats, with Kiyotaka moving to each group. I notice that when he approaches the blond guy, he immediately is rejected and ridiculed. Kiyotaka had kind of bested Mondo, so it was impressive that the blond was able to shrug him off so easily.

After a while, I hear the guy with the crystal ball, Hagakure I think his name was, say, “Woah, hey! Another new kid?”

Indeed, when I look to the doors, there stood someone new. He is kind of cute, with brown spiky hair and wide brown eyes. They widen even more when he sees everyone lined up in front of the door. “Huh? Then you guys are all…”

Surprisingly, despite her timid nature, Chihiro is the one to speak up. “Yeah, we’re all new here. Today’s supposed to be our first day of class.”

The new boy’s face contorts in confusion, his hands hanging at his sides. 

Next, the round boy with the glasses speaks up, his voice nasally. “So counting him, that makes sixteen. Seems like a good cut off point, but I wonder if this is everyone…”

The room stays silent for a while, until the new boy finally manages to speak. “Um...how’s it going? My name’s Makoto Naegi.”

‘I like his name,’ I think, and he continues to talk. 

“Sorry I’m late. A bunch of stuff happened, and all of a sudden I was just...asleep.”

That’s...exactly what happened to me! I feel a little comforted that I wasn’t the only one, and then remember I shouldn’t care, because this is all a dream. A strange, elaborate, dream. 

Hagakure speaks up again, a large gasp leaving his mouth. “Woah, you too?!?”

Next to me now, Celeste speaks and twirls her hair around a finger. “Things just keep getting curiouser and curiouser.”

“Yeah,” I murmur, nodding my head in agreement. Everyone else seems like they agree with Hagakure. Each of us woke up in a strange classroom, it seems, and one by one we all headed over here. Makoto looks at each of us one at a time, and I can see a bead of sweat start to form at his brow. What was his Ultimate again? I can’t remember seeing his name on the forums, but then again, I didn’t recognize more than half the people here. Not even the Ultimate Pop Sensation, who I now remember seeing before. I made a prototype for her outfit for a concert once. It was a contest for fans, and although I wasn’t really a fan, I realized it could be a good opportunity to get feedback on my designs. I think it ultimately won, which makes sense. It is my talent afterall. 

The portly guy speaks up again, putting his hand in his mouth for some reason as well. His voice was muffled and unclear through his hand, and I wonder if it could possibly be a nervous habit of his. “So strange...I declare beyond a shadow of a doubt that this is a strange situation indeed!”

A few people grumble at his remark, including me. I think we all figured it was strange, and we didn’t need some type of declaration for it to be official. 

“Um...what are you talking about? I honestly have no idea what’s going on right now.” Makoto says. I’m not sure what could be there that the round guy said that he doesn’t understand, but I suppose that I also have no idea about the current situation. This guy was the last one to enter after all, so he really has no clue about anything at all. 

Before anyone can respond to Makoto’s confusion, Kiyotaka raises his voice. “Just a moment! There’s something else we must address!” Nearly everyone looks a little confused before Kiyotaka continues. “Makoto! Your tardiness is unacceptable! Surely you were aware the meeting was to start at 8 a.m. sharp!” 

“Huh?” I had no idea there was a meeting, I was just trying to find an exit. Is he talking about the Orientation meeting? That can’t be it because there would be teachers here too, not just some stray new kids. “There was a meeting?” I say, trying to make my voice audible to the entire room. 

Kiyotaka is too focused on Makoto’s error to notice what I had said, and I guess I failed at making my voice loud enough because no one even turns their attention my way. “To be late on your first day is unspeakable! I must report you, and you must accept your due punishment!”

I knew Kiyotaka was the Ultimate Moral Compass and all, but he seriously wasn’t going to rat this poor guy out just for being slightly late to a meeting I’m sure some people didn’t have any idea about? Makoto’s expression mirrors my own, his eyes wide and brows tilted upwards. 

Junko intercepts, hair twirled around one of her thin fingers. “What’s your problem? It’s not like he  _ wanted  _ to be late. He didn’t have any control over it.”

The cheery girl with the high ponytail steps up, saying, “Everyone just calm down! Listen, why don’t we all go around and introduce ourselves!”

I suppose she was too caught up in her conversation that she didn’t notice some people calling out their names and talents to others. It’s a good idea though, I still don’t know half of these people. “I think we should do that,” I say, but I’m drowned out by Mondo. 

“The hell!? Now’s no time for friggin’ introductions!” his teeth are grit, and he’s glaring at the girl who suggested the idea. Wasn’t he just introducing himself to Kiyotaka a second ago? The only indication I get that someone heard me was the hand Celeste places on my shoulder. I glance at her, but her attention is fixed on Mondo. 

“Maybe, but it may be good to at least find out who we all are before digging into the bigger problems here.”

“Yeah, we might want to know each other’s names so we can talk to each other,” I say, scratching the back of my neck, and a few loose hairs fall out of my bun. 

Chihiro nods, clasping her hands on her chest. “That’s a good point…”

Sayaka is the next one to talk, her gaze towards the ceiling, her finger placed on her bottom lip. “Okay, so let’s get introductions out of the way, then we can move on to whatever else. Sound good?”

A few people nod, then head off to the people they haven’t talked to yet. I make to walk forward, but Celeste’s hand is still on my shoulder, and I don’t want to make it seem like I don’t enjoy her contact.

“We can just wait for them to come to us, okay?” she says, probably sensing how I had started to lean forward. 

“Okay,”

Chihiro also stays near us, but not as close to me as Celeste is. Makoto moves over to talk to Kiyotaka, and I can only hope that the purple haired one doesn’t start to lecture him. The round boy waddles toward us, his penetrating gaze fixed on Celeste. She notices and I feel her skirt brush the back of my thigh, and her breath moves closer to the side of my neck, like she is trying to hide behind me a little. 

“Hello there,” he says in his annoyingly nasally voice. He pushes up his glasses, and it doesn’t even look half as imposing as when the blond did it. When the boy in front of me does it, it seems much more unnatural and practiced. His glasses hadn’t even been falling down his nose. “I see that you are like a goth princess, m’lady.” he says, and Celeste’s hand on my shoulder tenses up considerably. 

“Are you from the middle ages or something?” I say when Celeste stays quiet. My voice is harsh, and he looks at me for a second as if sizing me up. 

“And you look like a classic little high school girl! You’re almost like-”

“Are you going to introduce yourself? Or are you going to waste our time?” Celeste asks, her voice threatening somewhat. Chihiro sighs a little next to me, probably glad she won’t get whatever evaluation this guy was doing to us. 

The guy stutters, taking a step back, but his legs are so short it barely puts any more distance between us. But it still lets Celeste’s grip on my shoulder soften. “Yes, I am the legendary Hifumi Yamada, Ultimate Fanfic Creator and author of-”

“That doesn’t sound very impressive to me,” Celeste laughs, her hand leaving my shoulder to rest under her chin. Despite her insult, she still made herself look kind. It made my heart race a little. “I am Celestia Ludenberg, the Ultimate Gambler.” Her voice holds pride and power as she informs him of her talent. For a high schooler to already be so skilled in gambling...I wondered how much money she had earned. A small strike of jealousy ran through me just thinking of it.

“It is a pleasure to meet you my lady,” Hifumi tries again, but Celeste leans forward, her eyes widening. 

“Do you wish to be incinerated?”

Even when threatening someone, she sounds regal and elegant. Her accent was so cool sounding, I want to ask her what kind of accent it was. She is Japanese, I can tell despite her western name, so I wonder if she had spent a lot of time in some foreign country and acquired it. 

“N-noooooo!” Hifumi cries, exaggeratedly. I figured it was my turn to say my name. 

“I’m Etsuko Yasuraoka, Ultimate Seamstress.”

Hifumi nods, apparently not as impressed. Then he looks to Chihiro. 

“I’m Chihiro Fujisaki, the Ultimate Programmer.”

Hifumi waddles away, I’m sure Celeste had intimidated him enough for him to want to get away from her as soon as he could. 

Next, the Ultimate Swimmer and the extremely muscled girl walk over to us. “Heya! I’m Aoi Asahina, and you can just call me Hina! What’s up!” she sheers, extremely giddily. I blush, she’s so pretty, and her voice is too. I think I would perish if I stayed around all these beautiful girls for too long. 

“I’m Sakura Ogami, the Ultimate Martial Artist. Hina here forgot to tell you, but she’s the Ultimate Swimming Pro.” the taller one informs warmly.

Behind her, I see the purple haired girl approaching. If all of them were around me at once...yeah I’m going to pass out. Celeste and Chihiro take turns introducing themselves, and when it is my turn I can barely manage to speak because of how focused I am on the other girl. 

Once the other two leave, she stands in front of us, her hands loose at her sides. “My name is...Kyoko Kirigiri.”

“You have such a pretty name!” I say, and she nods her thanks. She didn’t seem to want to say anything else, so I let it be. “I’m the Ultimate Seamstress, Etsuko Yasuraoka.”

Next to come up to us is Hagakure, who proudly showed off his crystal ball. “Ultimate Clairvoyant, if you ever need your fortune told, come to me! I'm right 30% of the time!” Despite the unfavorable odds, his smile is extremely wide. Celeste laughs mockingly, her hand over her mouth.

Next to come up to us is Junko Enoshima, her smile wide and bright, her hand thrown up in a peace sign. Her voice is sing-songy as she greets us. “Hiiiiii! I’m Junko Enoshima! Charmed, I’m sure!” I look down at her outfit, and note that I like the style of her tie. 

Toko Fukawa talks to us next, her eyes wide and moving around frantically, her hands gripped tightly together. She stutters, and makes a ridiculous accusation, and when Celeste tried to deny it, she made an even worse claim before hurrying away. 

Mondo storms over to our group, and sneers before begrudgingly saying his name and and talent, then storming away. 

Sayaka walks over to us next, her smile disarming. “Hello, I’m the Ultimate Pop Sensation. It’s so nice to meet you!”

Next to greet us is Leon, he talks to Celeste individually before turning to me and shooting me a toothy smile. It’s contagious, and I find myself grinning back. “Hello, I’m Etsuko Yasuraoka, my talent is the Ultimate Seamstress.”

“Yo! I’m Leon Kuwata! Well, you probably heard that part already, but I’m the Ultimate Baseball Star.” His face contorts uncomfortably as he says the last sentence, and the right side of his lips perk up. He shifts on his feet. Everyone here looks awkward and confused, but Leon looks especially worried at the moment, which is a great contrast to how happy-go-lucky he was acting before.

“Uh, Leon, is there something wrong? I mean besides,” I gesture towards the impressively bulky metal door, “all of that? You look perturbed,”

He takes the front part of his spiky hair and itches his scalp, and his lips pouted. “Huh, well the truth of it is, I don’t even like baseball. I bet you were expecting someone with a shaved head or something.”

“What?” I say, unsure what he is trying to get at. I don’t know anything about baseball, let alone sports in general. I figure that it might be tradition for baseball players to have shaved heads. “Oh...is that a thing for baseball?” I ask anyway. 

“There’s no choice for players, it’s like, a part of regulations!” he got fired up, his fists clenching. 

“Oh...well I think it looks really cool how you have it now!” I say, admiring the way he styles it. He even has a small beard tied together with a silver band. Overall, he looks insanely cool. He also has eyeliner on, in a sharp point at the end of each eye. “I like your eyeliner too. I’ve tried it before, but I can never get my hands to stay steady.”

His face flushes, his lips quirking back upward, pleased with my words. “Wow, thank you! You seem like, mega cool too!” He crosses his arms in front of his chest, one eye closing anxiously. “Maybe I could do your eyeliner sometime, since you like mine so much,” Although his voice trails off at the end, I jump up a little in excitement. 

“Really? That would be the best, Leon!” I remember what he said earlier about baseball. “Can I ask why you don’t like baseball?”

His expression dims a little, and I felt bad for reminding him of the thing he seemed to not like so much. “I don’t like it at all. I’ve never gone to a single practice. Since I got in here, I've quit that lame sport entirely! I want to be something much cooler than a baseball player!”

“I think I kind of understand.” He cocks his head to the side, as if he can’t believe my words. “With my own talent, I didn’t get very far anywhere, probably because of my poor marketing tactics. I mean, I just didn’t have many ideas of how to put my work out there, so I didn’t make much of a living from it. And to be honest, that was the only thing I was good at, so I kept doing it. Plus, it helped out the people around me. Really, I want to be an author. But I suck at that kind of stuff,” I have to stop myself from continuing to ramble, I didn’t want to unload all my feelings onto this stranger, who had much bigger things to worry about. “Because of your talent, you must have been trapped into continuing to play baseball, or something, right?” 

Smiling, he leans forward a little. “Yeah! You totally got it!”

“What do you like doing?” Naturally, I lean forward too, becoming even more interested in him. He seems really cool, and I can relate to him in a way. 

“I’m actually hoping to become a musician! Can you guess what genre?”

I take a long look at his outfit, noticing the studded details and the large safety pin on his collar. “I’m not well versed in music genres, but maybe punk?”

“Hell yeah! Can you feel the star-quality aura I have?” he winks, and I nod, his own excitement getting me more fired up. “All I need is a songwriter and someone who can play guitar, and I’ll be set for my path to the future!”

“I’ve played bass guitar before, not extremely well, but-”

“For real? That’s like, totally perfect! Punk musicians aren’t always perfect, that’s why it’s punk.” Leon seems knowledgeable about punk, but I still wasn’t sure if that’s the case, but I wouldn’t know better than him. “Yeah, this new version of me that’s chasing after my dreams is like, super cool to the max!”

“That’s really admirable, Leon. Deciding to chase your dreams despite having been locked into your Ultimate talent makes you really strong. At least, that’s what I think.” I look bashfully to the ground, hoping I didn’t seem weird for saying that. When I look back up, Leon’s silver eyes are wide, his mouth slightly open. His cheeks turn pink as we meet eyes. 

“Heh, yeah. So do you-”

“You two!” We hear Kiyotaka’s voice exclaim, and we both turn to look over where he is. “Our time is not to be wasted with your flirting!” He glares at the both of us, and Leon and I’s faces both flush. Flirting? “Jeez, you guys too?!?” Kiyotaka turns his attention away and towards Makoto and Sayaka who are in the middle of a conversation as well. 

“Well, I’ll see you later, alright?” Leon’s voice is playful, and he’s waving and going to talk to someone else. It seems I’ve introduced myself to everyone but...the intimidating blond at the opposite wall. During Leon and I’s exchange, Chihiro and Celeste had left to take the opportunity to talk to everyone else. I suppose I would have to go over to the tall blond by myself. Slowly, looking around almost as if I was lost, I walk towards him. The closer I get, the more I want to turn away and flee. Finally, I reach him. 

He looks down his nose at me, his gaze piercing through me. Not only is he intimidating, he is also really pretty, with gray-blue eyes with a single ring of gold circling in the middle, and a perfect jawline. “Names Byakuya Togami,” he says, continuing to study me. I expect for him to say a little more, but he stays silent. Seeing my expectant look, he glares harder and his scowl twists harshly. 

“I’m Etsuko Yasuraoka, Ultimate Seamstress.” I greet, and he makes a small nod. I realize he already knows it. He’s already heard me tell Kiyotaka my name and talent. I flush, and look away. 

He tisks, “I suppose you want to know my ultimate. Do you not recognize the Togami name?”

I think for a second, my brows furrowing. “Like, the Togami company?” I murmur, reminded of the extremely wealthy group that had bought off a lot of property from the areas around me, slipping families from their homes to make private buildings for themselves. The memory of it makes me upset.

He smirks now, turning his head to the side so I can admire his flawless side profile. “Exactly. I’m sure you can infer from there, unless you need even more guidance to reach an easy conclusion.”

“No, no. So you’re like the Ultimate Heir or something?” 

“Something like that,” his smile grows wider and more bold. Then his expression suddenly changes back to a cold stare as he looks down on me again. “Leave,”

Deciding that arguing with his order would make me seem stupid, I walk away, waving to him slightly. Not that I expect he’ll appreciate the friendly gesture. As I walk away, I remember the official title of his talent, the Ultimate Affluent Progeny. Right before I had walked into the school, his talent had come to mind, and now I had made a fool of myself in front of potentially one of the most influential people in the world once he inherits his father’s company. Leon bumps into my side as I walk back over to Celeste. 

“You actually got him to say more than one thing to you?” he whispers, his lips close to my ear. He glances behind us, probably at Byakuya. Jeez, I didn’t even realize how pretty his name is either. 

“Huh? I guess, why?”

“He just called me a idiot and, like, dismissed me. He’s not cool at all.” he frowns, looking towards the ground. 

“You’re not an idiot, Leon,” I say, and Leon seems to brighten up. 

“You barely know me. I am sort of an idiot.” I look at him quizzically, his first sentence hurting me a little despite the truth behind it and he paused before continuing, his words rushed. “I didn’t get into this school because of my brains, I got in on a sports scholarship. It seems like the one thing I’m good at is the thing I hate.”

“You’re not an idiot, Leon,” I repeat. “And I’m confident you are good at many things, too.”

He hums, standing back up straight and walking away, and I go back towards Celeste. 

Makoto is backing away from her, his expression confused. Everyone is kind of done mingling, now standing awkwardly near their original positions. The only ones looking natural, like they owned the room, were Celeste and Togami. With an airy scoff, Togami steps forward and addresses us all. “Okay, time to get down to business. This is no time to stand around making friends like a group of dull eyed baboons.”  I roll my eyes at his remark. Good thing I wasn’t planning on making friends with him. At least he was trying to progress things.

Makoto is next to speak up, but his presence was nothing compared to Togami’s. “Oh, that’s true, I think someone said something about a bigger problem or something? What was that about?”

Sayaka, who is still lingering by Makoto's side, starts to explain. “Well, you see…” her attention is solely fixed on Makoto, and I feel a little lost already at the conversation. “Makoto, you said a bunch of stuff happened and then you were just asleep, right?” She isn’t very clear with her choice of words, but I'm guessing everyone’s minds are foggy right now. Her deep blue eyes take a moment to survey everyone in the room, and in the end they return, transfixed, on Makoto’s face. “Well, the same is true for all of us,”

Blinking, Makoto exclaims, “What? Seriously!?”

“Just after each of us got to the main hall, we lost consciousness,” Leon jumps in, a hand playing with his spikes of blazing red hair. “And when we came to, we were somewhere here in the school! That’s what happened to you, right?”

“B-but that’s just weird! That every one of us would get knocked out like that…” Makoto fumbles over his words, taking a dazed step back. 

Mondo is the next one to talk, his voice somehow even louder than when he was fuming with Kiyotaka. “Exactly! That’s why we’re all freaking out!” 

A great contrast to Mondo’s brash and anger fueled words, Kiyotaka sounds much more reserved and considerate when he speaks. “And that’s not the only thing. You saw where all the windows in the classes and hallways were, right? But instead of normal glass windows, it was a bunch of big metal plates! What’s that all about!?”

Instead of anyone trying to answer Kiyotaka’s question, Junko speaks up, her tone a low worried one, much different from her loud, carefree one earlier. “Plus, all my stuff’s missing! Even my cellphone…”

“Yeah, you’re right. I haven’t seen my PDA anywhere, either…” Chihiro stares at her shoes, dismayed with her words. 

A sheen of sweat glistens on Kiyotaka’s firm brow. “And then there’s the main hall here. The front exit is completely blocked by some giant metal hatch. But there wasn’t anything like that when I first got here! What could it mean…” There’s a long pause and no one has a possible idea to suggest, and Kiyotaka’s eyebrows furrow further, and I see a flicker of movement on his neck, indicating that he gulped. “What the heck!? What’s it doing here!?” Even when he is frustrated and yells, it is much more controlled than Mondo. 

Junko jumps back into the conversation, as if she was itching to say something. “Maybe we got caught up in some kinda, like, you know...crime or something?” Despite her choice of uncertain words, her voice rings out confidently. 

Leon chuckles, his smile uneven. “What, like...a kidnapping? You think maybe someone grabbed us and hauled us off and we’re not actually at school?”

Hiro laughs, but his laugh is a genuinely humored one. “Come on, don’t think like that! Cheer up!” Already, he was proving to be a helpless optimist. I am a little jealous of his ability to be so careless, but that also probably meant he was a little dense, not able to understand the strange direness of our situation. “I bet this is all just part of the school’s orientation procedure. Yeah, I’m sure that’s it! So I’m just gonna take it easy for a little bit.” 

Celeste chuckles from next to me, probably amused with his cluelessness. 

“Oh...so you think they wanted to do something to surprise us?” Chihiro’s face shows her immense relief, and there are nearly tears glistening in her wide eyes. 

Leon sighs, “Huh. Well if that’s all it is, it’s nap time for me.” His pout turns into a wide smile. “I was up way too late last night, so I could use a little shuteye.” He starts to look around the room, probably for a place to lie down. As he starts to lean down, a large noise echoes in the room. 

*Ding dong, bing bong*

The monitor on the wall whirs to life, static snow shaded green flashing brightly on the display. Slowly, a figure becomes clear among the snow. The shape is a large circle, with two smaller ones on each side of the top. Almost like a bear? A voice, playful, high pitched, and completely out of place in the dreary situation everyone is in comes out of the speakers. “Ahem! Ahem! Testing, testing! Mic check, one two! This is a test of the school broadcast system! Am I on? Can everyone hear me?” The voice doesn’t wait for an answer. “Okay, well then...To all incoming students! I would like to begin the entrance ceremony at...right now! Please make your way to the gymnasium at your earliest convenience. That’s all. I’ll be waiting!”

Everyone stands, frozen, shaken, unnerved. Well, everyone except maybe Byakuya, Kirigiri and Celeste, who already have proven to be masters at hiding whatever they are feeling. If they even felt things like the rest of us. 

Once again, Junko jumps in to say something, her words clipped. “What. The. Hell was that just now?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you for reading!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you so much if you're reading this! it means the world to me!

Byakuya already is walking away, the sound of his shoes tapping on the ground rivaling the audible thrum of my heart. Without sparing a glance at the rest of us, he turns and walks away, his posture perfect. “Well then, if you’ll excuse me…”

“Hey! What, you’re gonna take off just like that!?” Junko clenches a fist, glaring at Byakuya’s back, but he doesn’t even hesitate or stutter when hearing her angered words. 

“Ohh yeah, now I get it!” Hiro’s hand cups his chin, and his mouth has stretched in an easy-going smile as he rejoices, “This whole thing was just to get us all pumped for the entrance ceremony! Man, thank god it was all a joke. I’d be totally freaked out if this was real! Alright, guess I’ll head out, too. Wonder what they got planned for us next.” 

If what he had said about this all being a stunt to try to get us excited about orientation, then I seriously needed to reconsider my enrollment at this academy. Whatever had happened to us was the most scary and most eventful thing that had possibly ever happened to me. Seriously, why would they go all out and even board the windows with heavy sheets of metal and huge nuts and bolts? And the two guns near the entrance, they were too real to be fake. And were all the other students in on this too? No, they couldn’t be. This was too elaborate. Too much just to get us excited for orientation. I’m sure most of us were already excited just because of the fact we were going to Hope's Peak. 

Leon is trailing behind Hiro, his efforts to take a relaxing nap now ceased. “Damn, I was totally looking forward to that nap, too. Why’d they have to go and kill the mood?” I’m unsure what mood he is talking about, already there was a sense of despair looming over us. 

Next to me, Chihiro reaches out and chases after the now far away Hiro and Leon. She has to work even harder at catching up thanks to their long strides. “W-wait for me! I wanna go with you!”

Calmly, Celeste walks away next, poised and graceful. “That is that, then. I will see you all there.” Her bright eyes flicker to mine for a moment, and I hurry to walk beside her, waving to the last few people in the room. I hear Toko’s voice faintly as we wander the hallways to find the gym. Ultimately, Celeste finds the door, and opens it for me. I nod and murmur a thank you as I see Leon’s flashing red hair disappear as the doors on the other end of the room swing shut. 

“I suppose this is a display room of some sorts?” She muses, her voice hushed as she peers down at the trophies and other knick knacks lining the shelves and storage case. There’s a shiny golden sword, and other smaller statues next to it on the bottom row, and I don’t get to study it further before Toko rushes past me, a nervous expression still on her face. “There doesn’t seem to be anything of interest in this room,” Celeste affirms, and this time I open the door for her to walk through. She nods her head as she passes through the doorway. Inside, there is a stage with a podium, and chairs lined up on the shiny gym flooring. 

“At least this looks like an entrance ceremony, right?” I shrug, following Celeste as she moves further inside to inspect the room. “Maybe Hiro is right,”

“I doubt that,” Celeste interjects, her hands clasped as she gazes at the large tapestries on the walls. “Why go through all of that just for us? There is no point.” She runs her hands over her skirt, waiting for my agreement. 

“Maybe they just do things differently here,” I murmur, looking over at the others who are trickling into the room.

Byakuya looks as unconcerned as before, but I see his blue eyes flicker over the stage and chairs. Everyone is standing up in their own spots, and I decide not to take a seat at one of the small red chairs so I’m not the odd one out. Leon stands with a hand on his hip, his lower lip jutting out as he stares at the podium. He catches my heavy gaze, jerking his chin towards me in greeting. “Are we supposed to sit down or…”

“I don’t know. You got here pretty quickly right? Why didn’t you sit down?” I walk closer to him as I talk, leaving Celeste as she looks around. 

He shrugs. “Byakuya wasn’t, so I figured I wouldn’t either. And Hagakure just kind of stood too, so…” he laughs awkwardly. “Well, if this doesn’t get going soon, I’m definitely taking a nap!’ 

I laugh, my eyes squinting shut. He really wanted a nap, huh? “Where would you even take one?”

“Maybe line up some of the chairs and lie on those, right? That’s a pretty bomb idea.” 

I glance back at the chairs, studying the plastic seats and metal frame. “Those don’t look very comfortable, I would advise against doing that. Your back would probably scream in pain afterward.”

“Whatever, I’ve napped on worse! Have you ever laid down on a bench at a baseball game?” 

“Like, on the bleachers?” I shiver at how cold that would be. The harsh metal against your scalp, and the chance of falling down onto more cold and hard metal.

“No, I couldn't bear to watch a baseball game even if I tried, they’re boring as hell!” he exclaims, his mouth wide open and revealing his tongue piercing. “At the dugout, on one of those worn down wooden benches that nearly breaks if even three people sit on it. Yeah, I’m pretty crazy,” he boasts, expecting my impressed praise. I didn’t know what a dugout was, but his description of the bench was vivid enough for me to picture sitting on it. It had been so oddly detailed, I was convinced he had napped on one more than once, and the memory of it had probably settled into his bones. 

“Sounds crazy, the most impressive place I’ve taken a nap is just in class, but-”

“Psh, that’s child's play! Real punks fall asleep every class!” Shouting, he earns a stern look from Byakuya, probably annoyed with the yelling, and Kiyotaka, who looks about to burst with a lecture about the irresponsibility of Leon’s claim. I wonder if this is why he had to rely on a sports scholarship to get into this school. 

“Still, I wouldn’t sleep on those chairs anyway.” I suggest, and Leon rolls his eyes, a smile on his face. “Those seats wouldn’t make a good pillow for your head. I at least need one full fluffed pillow in order to get good sleep.”

“Maybe I could get someone around here to be my pillow,” he laughs, looking around the room at everyone who was still making their ways inside. “Maybe Sayaka...or Hina…” he continues, and I laugh. Hearing my chuckle, he leans down a little, his eyes still on me, but flickering down and back to my eyes looking for approval at his jest. “You wouldn’t be too bad either.” 

My face heats up, not knowing if he is half serious. He is still looking at me mischievously. “I don’t-”

“Come on!” he walks past me to the chairs, his hands resting behind his head as he shuffles over. Trailing behind him, I realize how much taller he is than me, at least half a foot, his platforms aren’t helping the height difference either. He pats one of the seats, signaling for me to sit down, but before I can, Kiyotaka calls out to everyone.

“We’re all here now! Let’s prepare for our orientation!”

Makoto had just walked in, the door clicking shut behind him, his eyes trained on Hiro who was talking to him. 

I move to sit down again, but a voice interrupts my efforts. It’s the same high pitched, childish voice from before.

“Hey there, howdy, hello! Is everyone here? Good! Then let’s get things rolling.” 

Still standing next to me, Leon lets out a huff. “Goodbye nap time,”

I nudge his elbow with my own. “Don’t worry about it, I’ll make sure you squeeze in a nap sometime, alright?” I have no way to guarantee that, but it seems to calm him and he smiles, his face flushed a little. 

“Thanks! That’s the mega best!”

We look back to the podium, and I nearly faint as a bear pops out from behind the podium. One side white, one side black, with a large glowing red eye and half menacing smirk, it was the most confusing things I had laid my eyes on. I feel a tight squeeze on my thigh, and I look to see that I had pinched it in fear. Leon’s hand ghosts my forearm, but his touch whips away, probably as he realizes what he was doing. 

“Huh? A...teddy bear?” Chihiro’s timid voice shakes from behind us. 

The voice is now annoyed, sounding almost as if its teeth are grit, but the expression on the bear’s face doesn’t shift. “I’m not a teddy bear! I...am...Monokuma! And I am this school’s headmaster!” Its voice sounds much more happy when introducing itself, and I fall back, onto one of the chairs. As I suspected, it is cold, stiff, and uncomfortable. Leon’s eyes look to me to make sure I am okay, then stare back at the bear. “Nice to meet you all!”

“What kind of orientation prank is this?” Leon murmurs, his fists clenching at his sides. 

Hifumi speaks, face coated with heavy beads of sweat. “Wh-? Waaaaaaah! That teddy bear can talk!”

“Calm down! I’m sure there’s just a speaker inside of it.” Kiyotaka affirms, but despite his reassuring words, his face also is glistening with sweat. 

“I told you already, I’m not a teddy bear...I’m Monokuma! And I’m your headmaster!” Monokuma raises its hands in the air, as if threatening us. It works, I feel my heart leap into my throat. 

I find my hand gripping the cuff of Leon’s pristine whtie sleeve. “Leon...this is all some kind of nightmare, right? This isn’t really happening?”

“Then we’d be having, like, the same exact dream,” he tries to laugh his stress off, but his brows are just as knit as mine, his eyes just as wide. 

“Waaaaaah! It moved!” Hifumi is yelling, but I can barely keep my eyes open to see the smudge of Mondo’s eyeliner as he wipes away his sweat and shouts, “Seriously man, calm down! It’s prolly just a remote control toy or somethin’.”

Monokuma’s voice swims in my mind, “How dare you compare me to a child’s plaything! You’ve cut me deep. Deeper than the…”

Hunching forward, I fall onto Leon’s side, the world flickering to black all around me, and I am able to thank the gods I was seated in a chair so I hadn’t fallen down onto the hard gym floor. Leon is shaking me, but I can’t find the energy to get up, or even open my eyes. If I just wish hard enough to wake up, everything will be normal. 

“Come on, Etsuko, don’t leave me now, shit,” I can faintly hear Leon’s voice in the back of my mind. I feel a soft pressure on my back, and I feel myself slipping out of consciousness. The high pitches of the bear’s voice rings and echoes in my pounding head, and I just want the earth to swallow me whole. I don’t care if I wake up, I just don’t want to be here at all. This is all too much. I can’t take this. What even kind of twisted dream did my own head put me in? “I’m trying, jeez,” Leon grunts. “Hey! Etsuko, I know you’re like, going to pass out, but please wake up! That fucking bear bastard says you’ll be punished if you fall asleep!” 

I feel myself being shaken harder, and I open my eyes, to see Leon’s silver ones staring back at me. Relief floods them as he exhales onto my face. His breath smells like sweet tarts. “Sorry,” I manage to say, finding my voice again. 

“It’s fine, just stay awake,”

“Ahhh, good! Now that everyone is paying attention, we can really get going!” the bear cheers. “Everyone, stand at attention and bow! And...good morning!”

Hesitantly, Leon stands, pulling me up with him. I must have caused such a scene, acting out like that. My right leg brushes against his, and I feel my hand pinch it. It’s not as bad as the ache in my head, I realize, and feel another pinch. 

The only one to wish Monokuma good morning is Kiyotaka, enthusiastic and respectful. And loud, I realize, the volume of his words cause my head to hurt even more. 

“Y-you don’t have to s-say it back…” Toko’s voice is relievingly quiet, so hushed I could barely hear. 

“Now then, let us commence with a most noteworthy and memorable entrance ceremony!” Monokuma stays enthused at the podium, and I find the strength to lift some of my weight from Leon’s side. Jeez, he must be even more tired now, having to support most of my weight for so long. He shifts, his hand moving to wrap around my waist, almost protectively. “First, let’s talk a bit about what your school life here will be like. Now, ah, make no mistake-you few students, so full of potential, represent the  _ hope of the world. _ And to protect such splendid hope...you will all live a communal life together solely within the confines of this school.” The bear pauses, and I hear a few people gasp, including Leon next to me. “Everyone will live in harmony together, and adhere to the rules and regulations of the school. Ah, now them...regarding the end date for this communal life...there isn’t one!” He says the last phrase as if it is no big deal, but I feel my heart drop from my throat to the pit of my stomach. Leon’s hold loosens, and nearly leaves entirely, before wrapping around even more securely. I wish I could say something to comfort him, but I am entirely speechless. “In other words, you’ll be here until the day you die! Such is the school life you’ve been assigned.”

“Wh-what did he just say? Until the day we d-die?” Toko stutters, her voice high and squeaky. 

For some reason, I get the sense Monokuma is pleased with our reactions, but I can only focus on Leon’s hopeless expression, the rapid thrumming of my heart, and his hand pressed on the side of my hip. “Oh, but fear not! We have quite an abundant budget, so you won’t lack for all the common conveniences.”

Sayaka’s voice is next to pipe up, “That’s the least of our worries right now!” 

My eyes blur, until all I see are blobs of red and white. 

“Yeah, what the hell? You’re saying I have to live here forever? You’re screwing with us, right?”

“I am not screwing with you! I am no liar, of that you can be 100% sure. Ah, and just for your information...you’re completely cut off from the outside world.” 

“Kanon…” I hear Leon mutter, his breaths warm on my forehead. Blinking to get the tears out of my eyes, I can see his own eyes are dilated, and I wish we could go back to when we were joking around just a moment ago, when the first want on his mind was to take a nice, peaceful nap. 

“So you don’t have to worry about that dirty dirty land beyond these walls ever again!”

I hear another voice, but can’t make it out. 

“No matter how much you may yell and scream for help...help will not come.” 

I swallow the knot in my throat, and clutch onto Leon’s side, cursing myself for already showing such weakness in front of a stranger. But there was something about him that made me feel welcomed, comfortable, like we were close. I shook the thoughts from my mind, breathing in shakily, deeply at his side. He smells like some kind of cologne, and I place it around the scent of sandalwood, and it makes me sink deeper into him. Somehow, the scent made me feel safer, as if I’d been embraced by the soft aroma before. 

“So with all that in mind, feel free to live out your life here with reckless abandon!” 

“Come on, what the hell is this?” Leon’s chest rumbles as he speaks. I have to push him away. I can’t completely rely on a stranger for strength. Already, I had let myself in too close. I had shown such insane weakness, such odd reliance, so I push myself out from his side, miraculously being able to stand on my own now, despite the tremors in my thick legs. Still, his arm rests on my back. “I don’t care if the school or whoever else is behind it all, this is just a really bad joke.”

“Knock it off, you dumbass bear,” I say, my voice barely audible, my words shaky. I feel Leon jerk behind me, a surprised chuckle leaving his mouth. Monokuma’s head twitches toward me, his eyes blazing into mine. I gulp, and bow my head in fear. Fuck, maybe calling this strangely powerful bear a dumbass was the wrong thing to do. 

“Yeah! Cut this shit out! It isn’t funny anymore!” Mondo’s voice is still just as loud, but he falters as he speaks, all his confidence and reassurance leaving without much of a trace. 

“You keep saying this is a lie, or a joke. A bunch of skeptics, all of you.” Its red eye flashes brighter, and its hands move in front of its oddly shaped mouth. “But I guess you can’t help it, huh? You all grew up in an age where you’re taught to doubt your neighbor…Well, you’ll have plenty of time to find out whether or not what I say is true. And when that time comes, you’ll see with your own eyeballs that I speak the undeniable truth.”

“Having to live here forever would be...quite the problem.” Celeste sighs from behind the rows of chairs. She doesn’t seem too perturbed by what was going on, her voice having barely a hint of worry in it. 

“Come now. What’s the matter with all of you? You decided of your own free will to attend Hope’s Peak Academy, didn’t you? And now, before the entrance ceremony is even finished, you’ve already decided you want to leave? Oh, but you know…I guess I did forget to mention one thing. There  _ is  _ one way for you to leave the school…”

“R-really?” Toko gasps then says, her voice filling with hope at the opportunity of not being stuck at this place for the rest of our lives. 

I hear my own voice say, “How? If there’s a way out, we’re gonna use it!” My voice still isn’t very strong, but it is an improvement from my shaking and pitched one before. 

“As headmaster, I’ve crafted a special clause for those of you who would like to leave!” Monokuma rubs the back of his head, almost sounding proud of himself. “I call it...the Graduation Clause! Now, let me tell you about this fun little rule. As I mentioned, in order to maintain an environment of harmony here, we rely on a communal lifestyle. And if someone were to disrupt that harmony, they and they alone would be allowed to leave the school.” At Monokuma’s last sentence, Leon’s hand twitches at my side. “That, my students, is the Graduation Clause!” 

Surprisingly, Byakuya speaks up, for the first time I think since arriving here. His voice sounds angry, and I can only imagine what emotion his face is showing. “What do you mean by, ‘disrupt the harmony’?” 

“Puhuhu…” Monokuma’s laugh is as unsettling and unnatural as the rest of him. “Well, you know...if one person were to murder another.”

I nearly collapse again, but Leon holds me firmly in my grip, despite his own shock painting over his face for the millionth time since we had got here. 

Makoto’s voice exclaims from the back of the room, “M-murder!?”

“Stabbing, strangling, bludgeoning, crushing, hacking, drowning, igniting, how you do it doesn’t matter. You must kill someone if you want to leave. It’s as simple as that. The rest is up to you, Give it your all to achieve the bast outcome in the worst way possible. Puhuhu. I bet  _ that  _ got your brain juices flowing! Beats the heck out of a human catching a salmon, huh? Like I said before, you guys are the hope of the world. But you know...taking that hope and seeing it get murdered creates a darkened shadow of despair. And I just find that so...darn...exciting!”

I’m surprised my legs didn’t give out this time. Instead, I stand straighter, a ringing in my ears, and thoughts whirring around in my head. This fucking bear, it was...this was too crazy for this to be real. For this to be imagined too. All of this was so indescribably awful. This was some kind of different dimension, some kind of other planet. All I can feel was hopelessness, a numbness, a deep despair inside of me. But I also feel a firm hand at my side, and the sound of Leon’s voice by my ear. 

“What the hell are you talking about!? To kill each other is...it’s!”

“To kill each other is to kill each other. I’m sure there’s a dictionary here somewhere if you need it.”

“No one needs a fucking dictionary! We need you to quit with this insane murderous act you are putting on! What sicko at Hope’s Peak decided for this to be an appropriate orientation ceremony prank?” I shout, stepping forward a little, and Leon’s hand pulls me back closer when Monokuma glares down at us from his high seat on the podium. 

“Yeah, we know what it means, that’s not the problem! Why do we have to kill each other?” Hina calls, and I look over to see her fist clenched in the air, a furious look on her face. 

In a strange burst of courage, Hifumi yells out, “Yeah! Stop blabbering on with all this nonsense! Just let us go home already!”

The room is silent for a moment as we wait for Monokuma to respond. “...Blabbering? Blabbering, blabbering, what do you mean blabbering!? Stop blabbering on about blabbering on! You guys just don’t get it do you? ‘Let us go! Let us go!’ You keep saying the same thing over and over and over and over!” Its words come out rushed, slurred, there was no pause even when he mocked our desperate pleas. “Listen. From this moment on, this school is your home, your life, your world. Got it? And you can kill as much as you wanna kill! So go ahead, go on a kill-kill-killing spree!” 

When the next person speaks, I look over to see it is Hiro, with one finger rubbing the space between his nose and lip. “Alright, come on...how long you gonna keep this up?”

“Eh?” Monokuma’s head twitches to the side.

“You got us, okay? You scared the hell out of us. So you can go ahead and reveal the trick now.”

With its head still cocked, Monokuma says simply, “Reveal the trick?”

“Yeah, cuz I mean...y’know, this is all some kinda trick and all, right? So uh, like…” Hiro trails off, looking to the side and waiting for the “trick” to stop. 

With more force than was necessary, Mondo put a hand on Hiro’s shoulder and shoved him out of the way, storming over to the stage. “Dude, shut the hell up and get outta my way.” His broad strides make him swiftly reach the podium, and he is standing in front of Leon and I. His voice is a dark rumble when he thunders again, the threatening tone scaring me even though it isn’t even directed towards me. “Listen up, asshole! This shit’s gone way too far! What the hell kinda joke IS this!?”

“Joke? What, you mean like your hair?” Monokuma giggles a little, and anger radiates off of Mondo. 

“FFFUUUUUUUUUUUU-!” he cries, jumping up and towards Monokuma. What is this guy thinking? Monokuma was just poking the bear, which is a little ironic. Mondo’s jump is direct and fast, and soon enough he had Monokuma clutched in his hand. The bear’s hands whip up and down, but he stays silent. My breath catches in my throat. “Gotcha, you little piece of shit! I dunno if you’re a toy or a stuffed animal or whatever the hell! Either way, I’m gonna rip you to fuckin’ shreds!”

Finally, Monokuma’s voice echoes through the room again, “Waah! Violence against the headmaster is in violation of school regulations!”

“Shut the fuck up! Let me outta here, or I swear to Christ…” Monokuma starts to let out two toned beeps, and Mondo pauses his yelling as we all listened to the sound. “What, no smartass comeback this time!?” The intervals between the beeps shortens, and a vein on Mondo’s forehead looks like it is about to burst. “Stop that goddamn beeping and SAY SOMETHING!”

Kirigiri, the mysterious purple haired girl, dictates, with a surprising rush in her voice, “Watch out! Get rid of it!”

The red on Mondo’s face lessens, Kirigiri’s voice appears to have taken him out of his blind anger at Monokuma. “Huh?”

This time, Kirigiri’s voice is irritated, as if she was trying to tell a child to stop stealing someone else's things for the millionth time. “Hurry up and throw it!” she shouts, her voice rising above the incessant beeping of the bear. Obedient, Mondo doesn’t say a word and throws it into the air, and the bear is headed straight to the ceiling of the gym. But before it could even get a couple meters away from Mondo, it exploded.

Leon yelps next to me, stumbling back as we all watched the smoke of the explosion waft through the air. It’s hard for me to breath, I’m sinking deeper into disbelief. Did that crazy bear really just explode? No, this had to be some kind of messed up prank, right? Now that the bear was gone, everything would go back to normal, it had to. 

“The hell!?” Mondo’s jaw is slack, his hands nearly frozen in midair, except for the tremor that courses through them. “Th-that sure as shit wasn’t a joke. It blew the hell up…”

My ears are ringing even more ferociously than before, and I can smell the putrid smoke still left from the sudden explosion. 

Chihiro blubbers, “But you know...this means that the teddy bear’s been destroyed, right?” 

My heart skips a few beats when we all hear the high pitched, exuberant voice again. “I told you, I’m not a teddy bear! I’m Monokuma!” Then, he pops up from the podium, identical to his action before. 

Leon lets out a weird noise, and his eyes grow even more dilated, and his eyebrows curl upward. “There’s another one?” 

“You son of a bitch! You seriously tried to kill me just now!”

Monokuma raises one paw, and sharp claws appear on it. It looks like its mimicking Mondo’s angered pose, with one fist held high, a vein somehow showing at its temple, and its eyes shining brighter with fury. “Well, yes. I was serious about trying to kill you. You did violate one of the school regulations, after all. I’ll let you off without a warning this time, but you’d better be careful from now on. Any naughty boy or girl who violates my rules won’t get off with just a little swat on the butt.”

“H-hey...so does this mean there’s like, a bunch more of you around somewhere?” Junko groans, her voice shaking.

“Monokumas have been placed all throughout the school, yes. Plus, don’t forget about the surveillance cameras installed everywhere. And if you’re caught breaking any rules, well...you all just saw what happened, right?” He pauses to laugh, the sound mocking all of our fear, all of our panic. “And I won’t be so forgiving with my punishment next time. So don’t let it happen again!” 

Hina’s voice trembles like Junko’s, and it sounds like she can barely form any words about all of this. “Th-that’s not even punishment. That’s just...wrong…”

The bear ignores her, it’s voice just as insanely cheerful and out of place as it was the first time. He was supposed to be gone. “Now then, lastly...to commemorate your joyous entry into our school, I have a little something for you…” This dumb stunt was supposed to be over. Who could even think something like this up? And how could this bear be enjoying this so thoroughly, how could it be eating this up with such enthusiasm as a child with a stash of Halloween candy? Monokuma holds up a couple of small rectangular devices, and pride slides through its voice like honey, “This is our official student handbook! Pretty cool, huh? As you can see, it’s fully digital. So naturally, we call it...the e-Handbook!” Pausing for some time of applause or praise, there’s an awkward, underwhelming silence. No one is impressed. “Ahem. Yes, well, moving on…this handbook is absolutely vital to a healthy school life, so don’t lose it! When you start it up, it will display your name. Always make sure you have the right one! Now, this is not your everyday notebook. It has so many more uses than that! Also, it’s completely waterproof. Splash it, wash it, drown it, it’ll keep on ticking! And thanks to its space-age design, it can withstand an impact force of up to ten tons. Very resistant! It contains all of our school regulations, so make sure you review them thoroughly! You’ll hear me say this a lot, but any violation of school regulations will not be tolerated. Rules restrict, yes, but they also protect. Society, for example, would be utter chaos without lies.”

Leon mutters, a comforting voice amid the one that has been speaking for far too long, “He talks as if he knows that for a fact,” His utterings send a chill down my spine.

“The same thing applies here! Which is why it’s crucial we have strict punishments in place for violators. Okay, well...that brings our entrance ceremony to a close! Please enjoy your abundantly dreary school life! And...see ya!” 

The bear slides down behind the podium, his laughter still echoing in the recesses of my mind. Shocked, we all stand still. Surely, this could still be some kind of cruel prank? Leon’s head is bowed, a his brows knit, and lips pouting. He must be thinking of everything that had just transpired, and his hand squeezes my side before his arm drops. Crossing his arms, one hand raises to play with the end of his fiery red beard. The first half normal thought enters my mind since that bear had appeared. That red couldn’t be his natural hair color, so does that mean he dyed his beard too? I mean, it looked good, so whatever he did worked out well.


	4. Chapter 4

Kiyotaka is the first one to speak after the bear takes its leave. “So, guys...how would you define what we just experienced?”

“Absolutely bonkers,” I say at the same time as Leon says, “How? Why? I don’t understand any of this…” his hands now dropping back at his sides.

Toko has her head clutched in her hands, her circular frames dropping lower on her nose and falling off her ears. “We have to l-live here forever? Or...k-kill? Wh-what? What just happened!?”

Kirigiri, who is making out to be one of the most rational in the group, has a hand to her chin, her eyes looking downward in a pondering expression. “Everyone, we need to just calm down. First, let’s just take a second to summarize everything we just heard. Based on what Monokuma said, we essentially have two choices.” Everyone is now looking to Kirigiri, waiting for her to offer the options, but I think we all knew the grim one she would describe as the second one. “Choice number one is that we each stay here, living a “communal life” together until the day we die. And the other choice is…”

Celeste interupts her, seemingly having no remorse about it either. “If we want to get out of here alive, we have to kill someone. Right?”

“But...killing someone...that’s…” Chihiro can barely choke out her words, and large tears are streaming down her round face. Her bangs cast a shadow on her wide eyes, but the terror in them is unhidden. 

“We were abducted out of nowhere and stuffed into this place meant to look like a school.” Hifumi suggests, his hand in his mouth again!? 

“I doubt that is sanitary,” I murmur, only loud enough for Leon next to me. His eyes flicker from Hifumi to me, and he smiles a little before returning to the shared somber expression everyone had. Well, everyone but Celeste and Byakuya it seemed.

“And now we’re supposed to start killing each other? This is…this is...this is just! What IS this!?” Hifumi screeches his last words, his mouth opening wider than humanly possible. 

“A lie, is what it is. All these ridiculous things we’ve heard...this has to be fake!” Kiyotaka sounds like he is even trying to convince himself of his own words, and Mondo looks more agitated as Kiyotaka speaks, probably at the fact he was nearly exploded a moment ago. 

Byakuya scoffs, his arms crossed over his chest. “Right now it doesn’t matter if it’s real or fake. What matters is...is there anyone here who’s seriously considering all this?” His icy gaze falls onto each of us, assessing our ability, probably to see who he should watch out for. Not that I think anyone could seriously have the nerve to try to kill the intimidating man. Well, anyone except maybe Mondo, who already has proven to have the shortest fuze here. 

Like Byakuya, each of us looked around at each other, trying to read each other’s thoughts, and trying to see if anyone looked like they really  _ would  _ try to kill another. Hostility sizzles in the air, bitter and brutal.  _ “You must kill someone if you want to leave.”  _ There was no way those words could actually make someone want to...make someone willing to actually take the life of someone else. That was too cruel, too cold for anyone to actually think,  _ yes, killing someone else is exactly the right thing to do at this moment _ . There had to be some way out of here, besides the murderous trap Monokuma wanted us to fall into. I would find it. If anything, I would have to make myself useful, and find some hint, or clue, to the way out of here. A door, something to take the nuts of the windows maybe. This building looks huge, there has to be some kind of tool around that will aid us. Still...Celeste’s cool, certain words, the lightness they had held when talking of killing someone else. It made me shake with worry, with suspicion. Would somebody really try to betray us? 

Kirigiri’s voice pierces right through the heavy silence. “So? What are you gonna do now? Just stand around glaring at each other?” Everyone collectively snaps out of their hostile trance, and a rush of air leaves my lungs. She is right, being suspicious of everyone isn’t doing anything to fix our situation. 

“R-right...she’s right!” Kiyotaka nods, looking a little embarrassed for taking part in the glaring. “Sometimes, even if you’re nervous or afraid, you just have to step forward! To forget such a simple fact...I can’t forgive myself. I’m so ashamed!” My eyes widen. He really is amazing, being able to admit his feelings so freely. “Please, someone hit me! I can’t forgive myself! Somebody hit me! Punish me!” Now he is just going too far, violence isn’t a fitting punishment for most things, and his little mistake definitely isn’t one of them. 

I speak up, trying to calm him down from his ashamed rant. “It’s okay Kiyotaka, don’t do that-”

“Jesus. If you have time to yell about it, you have time to DO something about it.” Mondo interrupts, and it makes me wonder how rough his childhood must have been to be so harsh. He was the Ultimate Biker Gang Leader for a reason, so he must have grown up in a brash and dangerous world. All that bundled up anger, it was like he was about to explode at any moment. Well, maybe not  _ explode _ but…

Hifumi is still sweating crazily, “Perhaps, but...what is the mission exactly?” 

With unexpected anger, instead of the shared fear and disdain in the room, Leon shouts, “Idiot! To look for a way out, duh!” One of his fingers is pointing to his temple, and he sticks his tongue out so his piercing is in plain view. He looks nearly as mad as Mondo’s resting face does.

“And we totally need to find whoever was controlling that stupid bear and beat the hell out of ‘em.” Junko fumes, her perfect teeth grit. 

“...B-but before we do all that, maybe we should take a look at the handbook…” Chihiro suggests, and everyone looks a little confused why to do that. “It’s probably best to check out the school regulations Monokuma mentioned before doing anything else.”

“True. If we stumble around with no clue what the rules are, something like that might happen again…” Celeste sounds amused, like this is some kind of little joke for her. Like she’s sure she’ll get out of here. 

Mondo mumbles “Shit…”

“Fine,” Junko is frowning, but I’m not sure if it's because she was displeased with the situation, or if she is upset we decided to pause to take a look at the rules. I understand her haste to find an exit, but she seems way too annoyed about our hesitation. “Then let’s hurry up and check out the stupid rules already.”

Everyone miraculously pulls out an e-Handbook, and I look around, confused as to where to get mine. 

“Leon,” I mutter, seeing that he’s smiling down at the picture of him displayed on the small monitor. “ _ Leon,”  _ I repeat when he continues to stare, content. 

“Huh?” he looks at me, then at my empty hands. “Where’s your handbook?” His head cocks to the side, and I sigh.

“Where do you find it? Does it magically appear in your hand or something?” 

Leon chuckles, and points at my skirt, “In there, maybe. I found mine in a pocket in my jeans.” 

I put a hand into the pocket of my skirt, one I had attached for myself, and to my surprise, there is a small thing lying inside. Pulling it out, the screen lights up and my name appears. I could have sworn there was absolutely nothing in them before. Everyone had checked their pockets before for their phones or devices...and no one had found anything. In the corner, it reads, “e-handbook,” and, holy shit, had Monokuma pulled some trick? No, that was absolutely impossible. “Thanks Leon,” I smile up at him, and he nods before looking at the picture of myself on the device I flush, covering it with my thumb. I appear to be wearing the same sweater and collar in the picture as now, and my cheeks are red, my glasses low on my nose. My tight lipped smile looks weird, like I was trying to hold in a laugh. I notice how round my cheeks are, and my bangs reveal the entirety of my eyebrows, as if my hair had grown since the picture was taken. How even was this picture taken?

“You look pretty there,” he grins. 

My cheeks burn brighter. “Oh, thanks,” I click on the “school regulations” button, and the first one pops up. I feel Leon’s gaze on me. 

“Well, I mean like, you’re pretty now, too,” he says under his breath, and I pretend to not hear him. Taking compliments was something I was never good at, and I didn’t want to make an embarrassment of myself with my red cheeks, stuttering words, and fizzled brain. 

I read through the regulations, cursing myself for not complimenting Leon back. If he thought I was pretty, then he better think the world of his own looks. “ _ Students may reside only within the school. Leaving camps is an unacceptable use of time.” “‘Nighttime’ is from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. Some areas are off-limits at night, so please exercise caution.” “Sleeping anywhere other than the dormitory will be seen as sleeping in class and punished accordingly.” “With minimal restrictions, you are free to explore Hope’s Peak Academy at your discretion.” “Violence against Headmaster Monokuma is strictly prohibited, as is destruction of surveillance cameras.” “Anyone who kills a fellow student and becomes ‘blackened’ will graduate, unless they are discovered.” “Additional school regulations may be added as necessary.” _

As I finish reading the last one, Mondo barks, “This is bullshit! What the hell kinda rules are these!? I’m not gonna let them control ME!” Kiyotaka shakes his head, disappointed in Mondo’s words. He looks about to intercept Mondo’s rebellious attitude, when another voice joins the tension. 

“Well then, why don’t you wander around the school without a care in the world and see what happens?” Celeste has a hand over her mouth, giggling slightly at her suggestion. “Personally, I would love to see what happens when someone breaks one of the rules.”

“Come on, Celeste, don’t say things like that,” My voice is low, speaking more to myself than her. Already, suspicions are high, and her egging Mondo on when he already nearly died was not doing anything to cool the mood. 

Hifumi shakes his head, his chin trembling rapidly as he did so. “But if he got punished like what we saw before, I don’t think there’d be a respawn waiting for him…”

Mondo’s face clearly shows his disbelief, his eyes wide and pupils small, jaw slack, but then it changes into a more calm, neutral expression, his features nearly all relaxed, “I...ever since I was a kid, I grew up with my older brother pounding this into my head...when a man makes a promise, he has to keep it, even if it kills him.”   
Junko crosses her arms, annoyed with the delay even more now. She stares judgmentally down his nose at him, despite his taller stature. She nearly looks like Byakuya did when Mondo was yelling in the entrance hall, except she is more vivid with her expression of irritation. “So what?”

“I’ve made a ton of promises that I still have to keep, that’s ‘so what’!” His eyebrows crease lowly near the top of the bridge of his nose. “So I can’t afford to die in here!” 

Twirling a finger around some of the strands of hair framing her face, Celeste speaks again, “None of that made much sense to me, but you are saying you will follow the regulations, is that it?”

Uncharacteristically, Mondo looks taken aback, placing a nervous hand on the back of his head. “Huh? Oh, well...yeah, I guess you’re right.”

“Hey, um…” Sayaka starts to talk, and I see Leon perk up a little more next to me, “I have a question, for regulation number six...what do you think it means exactly?”

I glance back down at my handbook, clicking back to regulation six.  _ “Anyone who kills a fellow student and becomes ‘blackened’ will graduate, unless they are discovered.”  _

“You’re talking about the second half, right? Where it says ‘unless they are discovered’?” Makoto asks, and I look over to see his eyes are wide, and he keeps reaching up to run a hand through his odd spiky hair. “I was wondering about that myself,”

Byakuya scoffs, “It’s saying that if you want to graduate, you have to kill someone without anyone finding out it was you.” Clearly he is annoyed that those two couldn’t figure out that by themselves, and his air of arrogance is still making me nervous. Like I can’t do one wrong thing around him without being berated about how foolish I am. 

“B-but why? Why do we h-have to do that?” Toko’s eyes stay trained on Byakuya, and she looks very pleased when he takes the time to respond to her. 

“I don’t see any reason to worry about it. Just worry about following the rules as they’ve been explained to us.” He tilts his head upward, looking down on Toko who has stopped looking mortified, and now is smiling widely. “Frankly, I don’t want to hear anything from someone who looks for others to decide what to do for them.”

“D-Don’t jab at me…” her face flushes an extreme pink, her hands dancing around each other as she wrings them at her chest. 

Leon chuckles, “More like a full-on stab…”

Hina looks more assured than she did earlier, when her face was contorted in frustration. Her voice calm and strong, she announces, “Well for now, let’s forget all that silly junk about murderers or whatever.” She grabs the collar of her red track jacket, and has a serious look on her face. “Now that we know the rules, let’s start exploring the school!”

“True. We need to find out where exactly we are. IS there any way out? What about food and supplies?” Kiyotaka’s voice is at a regular level saying this, but it suddenly ramps up as he asserts, “There are tons of questions we need to answer!”

I’m starting to get the idea that this guy points out a lot of the obvious, and I figure it’s probably his way to keep everyone on the same page or something. He seemed like he just wanted to help everyone out of here. 

“Damn straight!” I felt my stomach turn as Leon shouts. Why was I getting the feeling that I’d heard that phrase leave his mouth a million times before? A strange wave of deja vu washes over me, but I’m taken out of it when he accidentally knocks his arm against mine as he raises his fists. “Okay, then let’s all start looking around!” 

Byakuya grimaces at Leon, “I’ll be going alone.”

“What!? Why? That’s a pretty stupid idea, don’t you think?” Junko rolls her light blue eyes. 

“Someone here might already have started thinking about murdering one of us. Are you saying we should stand around with them in our midst and make it that much easier for them?”

“W-Wait, hold on a second. That would never-” Sayaka starts, but Byakuya is not once to be convinced by such a meek sounding girl. 

“Don’t bother saying it couldn’t happen. You can’t deny the possibility. That’s why you all seized up in fear when that graduation rule was made clear to you.” Pausing to adjust his crossed arms, a smirk reappears on his face. “Am I wrong?” 

The room stays silent, until Sayaka tries once again, “B-But…”

Byakuya ignores her. “So, I’m simply acting in accordance with what I think is best for me.” 

“Hold on! Like hell I’m gonna let you run off and do whatever you want!” Mondo starts to crack his knuckles, a scary look on his face. It’s even worse than when he tried to pummel Monokuma. 

Byakuya appears even more irritated than before, his eyebrows are drawn downwards, his teeth grit. “Out of my way, plankton.”

His words strike a nerve in Mondo, who hesitates before fumbling, “Wh-!? The fuck’s that supposed to mean!?”

Byakuya looks nearly pleased with himself. He can tell he found some kind of weak spot, so he continues, “One tiny bit of plankton, drifting across the sea. So miniscule, so insignificant, they couldn’t possibly have any kind of influence on the boundless ocean.”

I remark in my head that Byakuya could certainly paint a picture with his words. He didn’t even pause to think of something, the insults just flowed from his mouth like a fountain. It was kinda legendary, although I feel bad for Mondo. By now, tears would be falling from my eyes, and I would be crumpled on the ground from this kind of berating. 

“I’m gonna kick your ass!” Mondo punches his fist in a show of anger, not doing anything but stirring Byakuya on. Sure, Byakuya is tall and intimidating, and has a way with words and insults that dance over his tongue, but Mondo is strong, and the Ultimate Biker Gang Leader after all. So, physically, Byakuya looks like he would fail a fitness test while Mondo could do one thousand sit ups with no sweat. I could only imagine the spindly limbs beneath Byakuya’s clothing. 

“S-stop it! We shouldn’t fight!” Makoto intercepts. 

I sigh, “Knock it off, enemies to lovers slow burn 100k words,” which earns a smile from Toko, a quizzical look and soft chuckle from Leon, and a harsh glare from Byakuya. Mondo is too focused on Makoto’s plea to spare me a glance. 

“The fuck you just say? You some kinda goody-goody little bitch?” That alone makes Makoto back down a little, but Mondo keeps going.  _ Jeez, this guy really doesn’t know when to stop.  _ “Who do you think you are, talkin’ like that? You think you’re my fuckin’ dad or something!?”

Leon and I let out soft, nervous laughs, and I can only imagine Makoto holding a small baby version of Mondo, with the ugly ass pompadour and all. 

“N-no, I wasn’t-” Makoto tries to back track.

Byakuya looks even more amused at the chaos going on. Everyone else stares in different states of disbelief, fear, or amusement. 

“Fuck you!” Mondo whams his fist against Makoto’s pale face, and already a bright red sting appears on it. Makoto flies back and onto the hard gym flooring, his eyes shuttering closed. 

“There’s no fucking way this is real life,” I murmur, then hustle over to the fallen Makoto, pushing the steaming Mondo out of my way. Chihiro and Sayaka follow suit, each of us bending over or sitting down to look at Makoto. 

“Hey, Makoto,” I poke his shoulder, unsure exactly what I should do now that I was over here. Kiyotaka starts to lecture Mondo, and I bite my lip, hoping Kiyotaka won’t be the next target. 

“M-Makoto?” Chihiro prods, her eyes flickering back over to Kiyotaka and Mondo. 

“He’s out cold, yup,” I hear Hina sigh, then flush when I see her bending over me, her hands on her knees. My nose nearly brushes against her chest, and I quickly turn back to look at Makoto. 

“What should we do?” Sakura’s gruff voice says, and Sayaka is quick to get back to her feet. 

“Monokuma said there are dorms, right? Well I’ll bring him to his, no problem” Sayaka smiles sweetly, and everyone nods. “You guys are going to look around and explore, right? I’ll meet you up then.”

I get up, wondering how she’ll manage to carry him. She didn’t look very strong, like Sakura and Hina, and now Makoto would be a dead weight. We start to disperse, our little meeting around Makoto finished. 

“Don’t worry about it, Etsuko! I got this!” Sayaka assures me, and I wonder if I had said all of that out loud. “Nope, I’m psychic! Haha, just kidding, I’ve got amazing intuition!” She points to her head, tapping her index finger lightly against her temple.

“Oh, that’s cool.” Her skills slightly frightened me, but they were intriguing. It seemed like a similar skill to Yasuhiro’s, inexplicable. I turn away to walk back to Leon, and when I sneak a glance back at Sayaka, I see that she is holding Makoto like a princess, and it makes me smile. 

“Is he alright?” Leon asks once I’m close enough to hear him. 

“Alright as he can be after getting punched like that, I think,” 

“So, do you like, wanna stick together now? Taka said we should all start looking around, and a few people have already left.” Leon averts his eyes from me, and I look around at who is left in the room. Byakuya, Kirigiri, and Taka, are all gone, and slowly, groups are starting to form. 

“Yeah, let’s stick together,” I grin. 

Leon smiles in return, his eyes looking back towards me. Was he...nervous that I would decline? “We should check out all those windows. If we can even get one to move, we’re one step closer to getting out of here.”

“Good idea Leon! But we should probably find some kind of tool to try to take the nuts and bolts off with. But I don’t think Monokuma would leave something for us to find…” I pause, trying to think of something, when Leon laughs. 

“Come on, we got these muscles!” I look up to see him lifting one arm, trying to flex. There’s a small shift in the fabric of his shirt as his muscle tenses and he curls his hand tighter into a fist. “I’m strong enough to like, lift a monster truck.”

“I’m sure if you tried hard enough, you could just flick those sheets of metal off the windows,” I laugh. 

“Yup, you got it!” he scratches the back of his head quickly before his arm returns to his side. “We should get going, huh?” 

“Hey guys,” a voice behind me makes me jump, and I feel a large hand on my shoulder. “Come on, chill Etsuko, I’m not here to murder you or anything!” I look up to see Hiro, and I frown at him. It wasn’t the best to joke right now. In his other hand, his crystal ball is balancing precariously. 

“What’s up Hiro?” I sigh, a little annoyed from the sudden scare. I look back at Leon, whose gaze is transfixed on the fingers that curl at my shoulder. 

He leans down a little, so now instead of his chin meeting the top of my head, we are at eye level. His hair makes him look much taller than he is, I realize. How does he even style it like that?? “We were all splitting up into groups, so maybe us three should be a group!”

I sigh again. 

“Huh? What’s wrong?” 

Groups of three here are ideal, so that if anyone thinks of murdering someone else, there is a less chance of it happening thanks to a witness, so I didn’t see a problem with letting Hiro join us. 

“Why don’t you join Junko and Chihiro?” Leon snaps before I can answer Hiro. “I think they’re looking for one more person.”

I give Leon a quizzical look before I glance at Chihiro and Junko. Junko is talking to Chihiro, her mouth moving rapidly as Chihiro listens attentively, nodding her head when Junko pauses between her words. They look like they’re fine together. 

Hiro stands back up straight, his hand falling from my shoulder as he uses it to scratch the stray hairs on his chin. Looking towards Junko and Chihiro, he says, “Hey guys! Do you want to join us?”

Junko’s judgmental gaze follows Hiro as he waves them over, and Chihiro starts to walk over to us, nodding with a smile on her face. “Come on, Junko,” she says, and Junko walks over to us too, a little reluctantly. 

“Let’s go, we’re gonna investigate the windows,” Leon huffs and starts to walk to the gym exit. I hurry up a little to catch up to him, and try to match his strides once I reach his side. Hiro is enthusiastically telling something to the girls, one of which doesn’t look enthralled, while the other listens politely. I can see behind them that Hifumi is making faces at Celeste, who is leaning against the stage. I feel bad for not inviting her to the group, but she gives me a small wave goodbye when she catches me staring, a motion that signals it's okay to leave her. Toko looks a little sad, and she plays with her long skirt. 

“At least now I’m not surrounded by himbos,” I say, loud enough for Leon to hear, and when he does, he knocks a light punch into my shoulder. 

“Hey, what’s that supposed to mean?” 

I feel a little bad now, reminded of his insecurity earlier when being called an idiot. 

“Hiro, his himbo energy is overbearing, and you, Leon, your brain cells aren’t enough to make up for his negative ones. Sorry, Hiro is just too void of intelligence.” I shrug, trying to hurriedly make sense, but my sentences end up a little confused. 

Leon’s fingers catch onto my sleeve, and his pace turns faster, and he pulls me forward a little until I can register what was happening. 

“Leon, what’s wrong?” I say, lowering my voice so the others behind us couldn’t hear. 

“I’m nervous about this whole killing game, that’s it,” his voice holds hesitance, and I can tell something more is bothering him now.

“Anything else?”

He sighs, stopping as we pass into the doorway of the lunchroom. At least, what I assumed was the lunchroom from the massive sign with a fork and knife above the entrance. “No, but that isn’t important right now, we have to-”

“ _ Leon _ ,” I press, my eyes burning into him. My voice comes out hushed. “It is important,”

He looks a little annoyed, pouting and looking down at me. “I guess, well, I don’t know, this is mega uncool, but, was Hiro trying to make a pass at you?”

I stand frozen for a moment. “Huh?”

“Earlier, he just came over like he owned the place, and was like, forcing himself into our group. I don’t know, it just pissed me off a little,” he waves one hand in the air dismissively

“Oh, uhm,” I try to think of what to say. Hiro? Making a pass at me? I think all the paranoia of this was making him exaggerate things a little, but I could see a little bit of where he was coming from. “I see. Thanks for telling me Leon. But I wouldn’t worry about Hiro doing anything-“

As if on cue, something slams into my back, causing me to lose my balance. Yelping, I fall towards the ground until a pair of arms hoists me upright. I see Leon frowning down at me, his gaze softening a little at my bewildered face. He moves back now that I’m upright, and I look to see an apologetic Hiro behind me. “Sorry, dude, I so wasn’t looking where I was going!” 

“Don’t worry about it,” I reply, and head over to the windows of the cafeteria. Unlike all the other windows I’d seen so far, these were uncovered, but barely any light shines through the panels of glass that reached from floor to ceiling. Smiling, I start to jog over to them, seeing trees through the windows, but then I notice the large metal wall outside that blocks the view further than a couple of feet. 

“No…” I sigh, banging my fist against the window. “Come on, come on,” I grunt, putting all my anger, confusion, and desperation into the force of my fist. I hear pounding start next to me, and now Leon is following suit. Junko gives a couple unenthusiastic taps to the glass, her head turned downwards.

“This is useless, this isn’t going to budge even a little!”

“Well, we should at least try, right?” Chihiro shrugs, then starts to join in the raucous slamming. Hiro is tugging back his sleeves further up his arms, cranking it around before letting out a squeal and shoving his fist through the air. I don’t think his dramatics helped with how strong he was, but it seemed like he was trying. 

But the glass didn’t seem affected by our collective force at all, and I felt my eyes water. If we just could break it, we could go outside and breath the fresh air again, we could find a way to escape over that wall. This must be here for a reason. This was the perfect chance for us to have hope for escape, to believe in an escape through here. I dropped one final fist against the window, looking down and trying to hold back my tears. This was too cruel. I just wanted to see those trees up close. I never really appreciated nature, but the idea of being stuck inside this school forever made me already miss the natural world, and here were hints of it, just on the other side of the glass. 

“Hey Etsuko, are you alright?” Hiro turns to me, placing a hand on my shoulder again. I look away, not wanting his attention to be drawn to the tear streaking down my cheek. 

“Yo Etsuko, what happened? We’re almost there,” Leon steps closer to me, looking at me as he still punches the glass.

“It’s not going to work,” I exhale, throwing another punch, my knuckles stinging.

“Don’t say that,” Leon says, his voice insistent. His gaze is intense as another hopeless tear falls from my eyelid. “Come on, we can do this,”

“Yeah! Why else would this glass be here! It’s to show us that there is a way out,” Hiro laughs, and I can feel Leon’s gaze leave me to focus on him. I stare at Leon, chilled with the cold look he's giving Hagakure. 

“We can find a way out, but I doubt here,” Junko is already turning away from the glass. “This is probably just some lame red herring or whatever you call it.”

Leon shakes his head, smashing his knuckles against the glass a couple more times, the tapping of his rings against the glass grating, matching the pang of my heart. I put a hand on his fist after a couple more punches. 

“It’s not working,” I can’t meet his eyes when he looks at me. “Let’s just check somewhere else out,”

“Hold on, this is totally gonna work. You just gotta believe in me,” his voice is gruff, and I drop my hand from his. His punches are rushed, strong, and eager. But they have no effect on the glass. “Or...maybe not,” he grumbles, stepping back and putting a hand on his wrist, massaging the tense muscle. 

“This sucked,” Walking away from us, Junko looks over her shoulder to roll her eyes. 

Flicking out her wrists at her sides, Chihiro sighs, then follows Junko. Leon tugs at my sleeve and I keep pace by his side, my other sleeve wiping at my hot cheeks. Lingering behind, Hagakure stares at the glass sullenly before joining. 

“At least we tried right?” Leon offers, and I nod. I got all my hopes up and for what? That ugly bear was such a sicko for putting real glass windows in the dining hall just to trick us.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much if you're reading this! I tried my best to add more parts and to not make it boring,,,,,anyway i try to keep everyone in character as much as I can, i thought it was fitting for Leon to assume that about Hiro since he was so quick to call out Hifumi volunteering for the trash. he seems like a protective person,,,,i hope that other people see that about him too,,,,again, thank you for reading this, it means so much to me!!


	5. Chapter 5

It’s silent as we approach the dorms, two long red hallways lined with doors, each labeled with a plate with someone’s name and a pixel image of them. Junko struts over to hers, twisting a key she pulls out of her pocket and walking inside. Quickly, Chihiro finds hers too, and she closes the door behind her, but not before telling Hiro to try and open the door from outside after she locks it. He jangles the doorknob, but it’s no use. He bangs on the door, but it has no effect. 

“Hey, this is a little weird,” Junko calls out to us, and the three of us go inside, and are surprised to see the walls plastered over with magazine images depicting the photoshopped model in front of us. Her skin is perfectly clear, her eyes large and wide, and she’s posed vulnerably in most photos. My heart rushes. Junko is one bad ass girl, and I find myself staring at each of the pictures, mesmerized by her beauty. “Where’s Chihiro? She should be here by now, right?”

Slowly, each of us snap out of our mystified daze. She’s right, Chihiro hasn’t joined us to look at the decorated room. 

“Chihiro, get in here!” I call, but there’s still no response. 

“Chihiro! Get your butt over here!” Junk yells, much louder than I had been, in hopes of getting the meek girl to listen. “What’s wrong with her?” Junko walks out of the room, a hand on her hip. I look around, seeing Leon eyeing the bed. He still wants to take that nap. Tapping on his shoulder, I get him to swing his head over to me. 

“How about we check out your room, and you can take that nap you wanted?” I offer, and he smiles, but shakes his head.

“We have to investigate right? I don’t want to slow the group,”

“Don’t worry about it, the other three can go off and we can catch up with them, I’m sure they won’t mind.” My eyes flicker to the tension in his brows, which are furrowed deeply. “You seem stressed out, and searching around with all that stress can’t be good.”

A little confused, he stares at me, before turning his head down to the floor. “Seriously, I don’t want to slow the whole team down and be considered a slacker, I gotta do the best at this as I can!”

“You’re not going to be considered a slacker just for taking a nap when you need one-” I begin, before feeling a heavy hand on my shoulder, and I look up to see Hiro also putting a hand on the shoulder of Leon’s white jacket. 

“Yeah dude, me Chihiro, and Junko won’t mind, I’m sure. I mean, that’s what I predicted anyway!”

“You made a prediction that fast!?” I gasp, falling back a little. I didn’t know much about psychics like Hiro, but I had always assumed they needed an intense focus and concentration in order to reach a conclusion about a prediction. Well, Hiro was the Ultimate Clairvoyant, so he probably didn’t need to take as much time if that was the case. 

“Yup!” Hiro laughs boisterously, his chest shaking with the sound. I cringe a little as I take a look at what he was wearing. How hadn’t I noticed the confusing choice of clothing before? Well, it didn’t burn my eyes, so I shouldn’t be complaining. 

“That’s impressive,” I mumble, turning my attention back to a disappointed Leon. “Come on, Leon, let’s go check out your room then. I’ll stay with you, so if any loser wants to say you were slacking I can take the blame!” I grab his wrist, tugging him forward with me as I step backwards towards the doorway. Leon follows, a little reluctantly, with his feet dragging across the floor, and I give Hiro a wide smile. “We’ll see you in a bit! I promise this won’t take too long!”

“Biya!” Hiro shouts as we leave, waving a large hand towards our receding figures. 

I squeeze Leon’s wrist, before taking the rest of his hand in mine. “Now we just have to find your own door.”

I squint as we walk down the hallways, and finally find the one bearing Leon’s name on it. Above his name is a cute pixel art of him, and it makes me wonder if Monokuma is some kind of artist. Or if the person behind Monkuma has taken up the hobby of art. Our names would have done enough for us to know whose room is which. 

He sees his room, and sighs a little before turning the key already placed in the lock. Opening the door, I see his own room is also themed like the passion he had told me about earlier. Inside, there’s a huge case filled with CDs, and a huge poster on the wall, pitch black with a skull in it. He ushers me inside, and I get to take a closer look at all the equipment that has been put inside. On the corner of the skull poster, it says “REON” in red ink, and I take a look back at Leon. It’s too much of a coincidence, the similar name and the skull plastered on the poster and the one painted on his shirt, for this not to be some kind of promotional poster of his own music. There’s a large CD case on top of the shelf, and I walk over to it, nearly tripping on an amplifier that is stuck out from its place behind the wall I just passed. Now that wall takes all my attention, and I see the guitar next to it, standing upright and shining. Leon makes a weird shocked noise, and I turn around to see him gripping a microphone in his hand, a huge grin on his face. 

“Holy, shit, this is cool as hell!” he giggles, twirling around in place with excitement. He then walks over to his bed, grabbing the headphones that had been set on top of the white sheets. “This is sick! Monokuma really made this place perfect for me!”

“You mean this isn’t your stuff?” I say, and he gives me a look, one eyebrow turned upwards quizzically. 

“No, why would it be? None of us have even been here before,” he shrugs, and turns back, wide eyed, to all the stuff decorating the room. 

“It doesn’t make much sense,” I say under my breath as I walk closer to the poster on the wall. “Why would Monokuma prepare the perfect room for people he wants to kill each other?”

“Beats me,” Leon flops down onto his bed, and the headphones are already covering his ears, flattening some of the strands of fiery red hair against his temple and neck. “But I could care less at the moment, this place is like a dream,”

I sigh. I wish this was a dream, that no one had ever claimed that I had some lame talent. But this feels too real, the way his hand fits in mine, warm and rough and gentle. I shake the thoughts away, taking another deep breath in and out. I am one messed up person to dream this shit up. “Leon, after this can we-” When my eyes land on him, his eyes are already closed peacefully, his hands tucked between the back of his head and his plain white pillow. His lips are slightly parted, a line of drool starting to run down his pale skin. I walk over, taking the sleeve of my sweater and wiping at the drool before it can reach his sharp jawline. Realizing what I had just done, I flush and walk to the doorway, trying to put a safe distance between myself and him. Already, I am showing too much care for him. I was letting these moments slip, moments that made me appear soft and vulnerable. Something bad was bound to happen to me sooner or later after showing some kind of deeper caring for someone, and I need to stop lending my feelings to the guy I had met only an hour ago. But as I lean against the doorway, trying to put my racing thoughts away, the thoughts of him were stuck to the front of my brain. His silver eyes, gazing around carefully at everyone. His lips quirking, a clear tell of when he is nervous. The way his hand moves fast, instinctually to the closest person when he is scared, or when he feels the fear of someone near him. The way he runs a hand through the spikes of red hair that shot from his scalp. The way he tugs and plays with the cuffs of his jacket sometimes when in thought. A frown curls over my mouth. I’m already in deep shit for letting thoughts like those occupy any space in my head, and now they were insistent on staying. I sigh and slump further against the doorway, looking to the peaceful redhead who is sleeping soundly on the bed. There’s no more drool near his mouth, thankfully. His eyebrows are relaxed, if slightly turned upwards as if feeling a serenity wash over him. Calmly, his eyes are closed, there’s no extra scrunch or squeeze to them, no extra lines or creases appearing as a tell of fierce emotion. He’s still, except for the rhythmic up and down of his stomach. I feel something light take hold within me, something that is singing and fluid. It only makes my frown stronger as I whip my attention away from the boy. Only to see someone walking down the hallway, his strides long and eyes glaring ahead. As he approaches, my eyes follow him, and he catches my stare. 

I hold up a hand in a light wave. “Hey, Togami,” My voice sounds weak, and I curse as I see something flicker in his expression as if taking note of the stupid, unguarded vulnerability. 

For a moment, he stops to peer past me into the room, his brows furrowing. His voice is smooth, with no feeling except for intolerance in it. “He’s asleep? Shouldn’t the both of you be investigating the school? Standing-or sleeping-around is doing no good.”

“I’m aware. He was exhausted, so the group we were with said it was fine for him to take a quick break. We haven’t been here long.”

His icy eyes move from me, to Leon, then back to me. “I see, well that doesn’t take away from the fact that this break isn’t helping the rest of us. I would invite you to join me so you could possibly be of some use, but I’m not sure what a seamstress could even offer in a situation such as this.”

“I know,” my tone is flat, I’m a little ticked off, even though I know his remark about my talent is true. “I’m not sure what an heir exactly has to offer either, but at least I’m patient about finding that out. I mean, I can assume you’re intelligent, but you don’t seem nice at all.”

One slender eyebrow twitches upward, and his glare on me stiffens. “You’ll regret underestimating me. I am the heir of the Togami name, and I had to fight for it. I have gone through and bested more challenges and hardships than you could ever dream to.”

“While I’m sure that’s true, I don’t see how that’s very useful to me right now. But I don’t recall underestimating you,” I shrug.

Without a word, he walks off to do whatever nonsense mission he is on right now. His gait stays confident and assured. I feel a little pull to follow him, like a moth to a light. Staring at Leon, peaceful, gentle, lovely, does nothing but make my heart flutter like an untrained butterfly, so maybe getting away from him for a bit could have some benefit. I stay at the doorway. 

After a little while of silence, I see Hiro, Junko, and Chihiro all leaving Chihiro’s room, and they each give me a wave. “We’re going to check out the classrooms now,” Hiro smiles broadly at me, lingering behind for a moment as if wanting to start a longer conversation with me. 

“Sure, I promise we won’t take too long,” I say. There’s an awkward stretch of silence as he stares at me, and I avert my eyes to the floor. 

Hiro laughs, but there’s nothing really funny, so I look up at him, raising a thick brow. “Okay then, see you later alligator!” He hurries off to the two girls, and I steal a glance at Leon before looking back at my smudged black shoes.

Trying to find a way to pass the time, I recite the lyrics to my favorite song a couple times in my mind. I’m sure I skipped over or repeated some lyrics a couple times, but it still seems like I should give him some more time. Next I move onto thinking about one of my favorite shows, my mind growing fuzzy. 

It’s probably been ten minutes by the time I snap back to reality, my fingers digging into my thigh. I wish I had a wristwatch. How long has he been sleeping? Long enough for me. 

“Hey, Leon,” I walk over, my boots squeaking, then nudge his elbow. “Wake up,”

He doesn’t stir.

I nudge him harder, frowning. “Wakey wakey,”

He must be in a deep sleep, because he still doesn’t react. There isn’t even a flicker of movement behind his eyelids. 

“Leon!” I hiss, wrapping a hand around one forearm and shaking him. “Wake up or I’ll-” I stop, seeing the corner of his mouth flicker upward in a smirk. I sigh, using my free hand to poke his cheek. “Leon,”

One one eye opening to look up at me, he hums. Stepping back, I tug him, hoping he’ll get off the bed. His torso flops off his bed, and his head is now upside down, his eyes still focused on me. I drop his arm and it falls against the carpet. “Wakey wakey,” he teases, and I turn to walk out the door so he doesn’t see my flushing face. Walking out, I see Sayaka coming out of one of the rooms. I smile at her, waving. 

“Etsuko!” she greets, skipping over to me, which makes me stop, a few steps away from Leon’s door. “Everyone’s investigating right? I should get on the ball!”

Cocking my head to the side, I wonder how she knew, but then I remember her intuition before. It is kinda freaky, but I smile at her still, trying to hide my pertubedness. “Yeah, is Makoto doing okay?” My eyes flicker over to the sign with his name and pixel person on it. 

She looks down a little, her mood dimming. “He hasn’t woken up yet,” Her voice trembles, reminding me of my own earlier. I frown, not at her but at my reckless self, being so openly weak. Bleh. 

“Well, I’m sure he’ll be fine,”

“Sayaka! Hey!” a voice calls out from behind me, and I recognize it as Leon’s playful tone. His platforms clomp on the floor as he appears at my side, a beaming grin on his face. Sayaka’s eyebrows raise as her dark blue eyes go from me, to Leon, then back to me. “It’s so nice to see you! Wanna investigate with me?”

“How are you so energetic right after a nap?” I grumble, trying to hint at Sayaka why we were both in the same room. “Where was this energy when I was trying to wake you up to go back to investigating?”

Leon bumps me in the side with his elbow, “Whatever, what do you say, Sayaka? Wanna hop on the Leon train?” Chuckling nervously, I see his cheeks glow bright red. I look away, holding back a laugh. The second hand embarrassment is unbearable. 

“Uhmm…” Sayaka looks off to the side, her mouth forming an unsure smile. I can see why Leon is so anxious to get time with her. She is stunning. “I was actually going to check out the cafeteria, I’m a little hungry,”

“Sweet! We can tag along! It’s dangerous to explore alone anyway,” Leon jumps at the opportunity. I stare at him, a little bugged. The cafeteria was the first place we had gone, and there was no point in going back until the group meal I had overheard Hiro informing Junko and Chihiro about. We also need to get back to our group. I mean, I guess I could let Leon and Sayaka go off together, and I can meet up with the rest of the group…

“Don’t you have a group to get back to?” Sayaka questions, and Leon’s face slowly crumbles into disappointment. There’s no way that this is just intuition…

“How’d you know?” Leon sighs, scratching the back of his neck. It is so obviously apparent how much he already likes her, and I think that turned Sayaka away a little. She didn’t have to point that out if she wanted to spend time with him. 

Giggling, Sayaka tries to relieve Leon’s dismay. He seems to perk up a little at the airy sound. “I’m psychic!”

Leon’s eyes widen, and he looks a little panicky, shaking his head in disbelief. “That’s crazy! Can you like, read my thought’s right now? Don’t read them, please!” he adds, his voice squeaking. 

“Don’t worry, I just have amazing intuition,” she smiles, and he calms at that, his hands dropping from where they were playing with his hair. “I’m starving now, so I gotta go! See you two later!” she calls and hurries past us, waving at Leon, who stares at her back, a dreamy expression on his face. 

Pausing, I let him watch her for a little, but when she disappears from the doorway he stays in the dreamy state, and I tug on his sleeve. “Are you ready to go?” my voice is soft, and I feel a little bad for how much he is already swooning for her. 

“Huh? Oh sure, let’s go!” He starts to walk forward, and I trail at his side, concern painting over my features. He still seems a little out of it, his steps slightly wobbly and occasionally he bumps into my side. I try to swallow down my worry, but it stays thick in the back of my throat. 

We pass through the hallway, into the main school building, and before Leon can pull one of the classroom doors open, I tug on his sleeve twice, catching his silvery gaze. “Are you doing alright? You seem a little woozy,” I mumble.

Brushing a hand through his hair, he answers, “Nah, I’m fine, I just was half expecting this all to be some kind of dream and that I would wake up back home. And I kinda wanted Sayaka to be here with us too, don’t worry about it though,”

“Doesn’t sound fine,” I poke his stomach, staring down at the designs on his shoes. “This could still be an elaborate nightmare...and Sayaka just had her own thing to do, I’m sure you can get some time with her soon. She's super cool, huh?”

His hand drops onto my shoulder, squeezing it a little, and I drag my eyes back up to his smiling face. “Super cool to the max if you ask me! And her singing voice is incredible! Ah man, I admire her so much, following her dream and all. But anyway, come on, we gotta join the group! We can’t just hold a random Sayaka fan club meeting out here,”

Luckily, on our first try we find the others as he opens the door. Junko has one boot raised, kicking the metal sheet over a window with her heels. Hiro is putting his large hands on them and trying to screw them off, but with no luck. Chihiro looks a little ashamed to not be doing anything, but has a smile when she sees us. “Hey you two!”

“What’s up in here?” Leon strides further in, ruffling Chihiro’s silky brown hair once he approaches her. 

Smiling brightly, Chihiro gestures to the two attempting to fight the steel on the windows. “We’re all just seeing if these windows will give,”

“Mine...totally...is...coming...loose!” Junko says between reckless kicks, her skirt swooshing haphazardly through the air. Leon’s head snaps away from her as the patterned skirt flies upward. She keeps swinging her leg all the way back and forth dramatically, but it didn’t look like it had any effect on the steel. 

“Mine too!” Hiro grunts triumphantly, still trying to move the nut from the same position. Leon grabs the one next to him, applying the same useless method. 

Walking towards the third window where no one is, I murmur, “Maybe enough punches can dent it or something,” I prepare a fist, and punch the metal, trying to ignore the stinging in my wrists as it connects. I throw a few more, and look to Chihiro, who appears helpless. “Come on over here Chihiro, I could use your strength, let’s do this!” 

Nodding, Chihiro heads over, balling up a fist but not doing anything with it. Instead she just stares as I do it. 

“You don’t have to if you don’t want too…” I chuckle after throwing one that makes my knuckles feel like bursting. “It does kind of hurt,”

“N-no, I can do this!” Chihiro says, forced enthusiasm into her voice. Still, it’s apparent that she’s trying, which makes me smile. 

The metal lets out another clanging noise as I pinch with my left, still watching for Chihiro’s first punch. Finally she lets it out, yelping a little as her small fist collides with the flat metal. 

“You’re not hurt too bad are you? If you are, it's okay to sit this out, I’m close to giving up on this anyway,” I say over another punch and clang. 

Chihiro punches again, the motion swift, “I-I got this!”

“Heck yeah you do!” I enthuse, suddenly feeling more powerful too, and I release a few more punches, but the metal stays smooth and unaffected. 

“Damnit!” Leon groans and I glance over to see him still trying at the nut. 

Stepping back, I blow at my reddened knuckles. The stinging is even more unbearable than before, and when Chihiro goes to throw another punch, I catch her arm. “I think it’s better if we stop, this isn’t going anywhere. Plus, this hurts like hell,”

Chihiro seems a little unsure as I release her arm, but then smiles a little. “Well, we tried anyway,”

Leon’s arms drop to his sides, giving me a quizzical look. “If you don’t want to punch it, use your strength and try to unscrew this with me.” Then he motions for me to stand across from him on the other side of the bolt. I stand, my back brushing against Hagakure’s. He places his hands on it, and I do, our fingers slightly overlapping. He nods, and the both of us try to turn the nut, one of my hands slipping from sweat. He’s got a good grip, his hands don’t really move as he attempts to spin the nut. A rush of movement behind me makes me flush, and a warm presence presses against my back. 

“You don’t mind if I help too, right?” Hiro asks, and his arms stretch over me, and his hands rest gently against mine, his light brown skin a contrast to my pasty white, that is still tinged with red. His hands are smooth, the pads of his fingers calloused. 

“Sure,” Leon shrugs, but his eyes rest on Hiro and his hands as he begins to push. I start to turn it too, Hiro attempting to add his strength to the mix. Behind us, Junko is trying to instruct Chihiro on kicking the metal plates. 

“Look! Did you see that! It moved!” Hiro shouts, pressing his hands even more roughly down on mine, but I swear it hasn’t budged even a little since Leon first walked over to it. It hurts a little, his palms sandwiching my hand between it and the nut, but it’s not as bad as when I punched the metal sheets. Slick with sweat, my hand flies off the nut, over in Leon’s direction, and I nearly fall forward with the force I was using to push the nut. My chest knocks against the nut, and Hiro crashes into my back, his hand still against mine. “Dude, what happened?”

“My hand was sweating,” I shrug, drawing my hand away from Leon’s face, who is staring at it. Hiro drops his hands down at his waist,and they come to rest against his hips. Brow furrowed, Leon is nearly glaring at me. “Oh, did I hit you Leon? I’m sorry,” My hand had gotten close so touching his face…

“No, no,” Leon crosses his arms over his chest, head turning downward in shame. “This isn’t working, and I don’t want us to spend too much time in one room, ya’ know?”

Nodding my head, I step away from Hiro, “Good idea, and this is only the first classroom we’ve gone in right? We’ll find a loose screw eventually.” I turn to Chihiro and Junko, one wringing their small hands and the other slumping against the metal sheet on the window they were trying to uncover. “That good with you two?”

“We can like, go faster if it’s split like between the guys and girls right? They can use their manpower to try to knock these down while the girls can look for clues?” Junko throws out the idea, a bright grin on her face. I think about it for a moment, not decisive enough to voice my opinion. Looking to the others for their reactions, I see Chihiro is shifting side to side, nervously staring at Junko, Hiro is holding his chin between his thumb and pointer figure, contemplating, and Leon has the same concentrated scrunch on his face, fingers fumbling with the cuffs of his sleeves. 

“It won’t be even numbered,” I say, when the silence stretches long enough for Junko to sigh exaggeratedly. “Chihiro, would you want to join the guys? I think if more people were using their strength, then it’d be more likely to get something to budge rather than three people searching for clues that might not exist. I’d rather be investigating, and since Junko came up with the idea I assumed she would rather do that too...but if you don’t want to it’s fine either way,”

Chihiro nods, poking her chin with one finger, “I’m not sure I can be of much help to them, but okay,” 

“You two alright with that?”

“Yup!” Hiro takes a step forward and ruffles Chihiro’s smooth brown hair, like Leon had done earlier. Leon is nodding, grinning at Chihiro, whose face relaxes with relief. I hope she wasn’t so relieved because she didn’t have to spend time with me or something...or maybe she was just glad the guys were fine with it. 

“We’ll see you losers later, then! Come on Etsuko, let’s go!” Junko’s acrylic adorned hand reaches for mine, then pulls me out of the room. Her fingers are rough on my wrist, her calloused palm bumping me. Were fashionistas really put under such labor that their hands would become rough and cold? I blush, staring at the beautiful freckled girl in front of me. I am jealous of her, even without the editing and makeup used in cover photos, she is stunning. Her thin eyebrows perfectly complement her slender face, and her eyes are still round and wide, the greyish blue hue of them deep and divine. My heart pounds in my ears, and she glances down at me, brows scrunching in confusion. 

“You gotta problem? Don’t be afraid to say it,” she scoffs, and we pass the doorway to another classroom, and I wince in repulsion. Who chose this awful wallpaper? It is yellow and striped, nearly mirroring some kind of animal print. I’ve never been a fan of that type of design, and this room just looked nausea-inducing. Junko lets go of me, starting to peer around the desks and chairs, her hands wiping the slim inside of desks for any hints. I wonder what could fit inside the small storing spaces, but the thought jumps out of my head when Junko’s icy glare lands back on me. “Are you gonna like, help me?”

“Yeah, yeah,” I walk to the right wall, looking closely, making sure there was no possible place to tear the hideous wallpaper from in case there was something concealed underneath it. It is spread smooth against the wall, and running my hand over it I feel nothing but a smooth wall. I do this to every wall, finding nothing. Junko is flipping over chairs in case something is pasted to the bottom of them, and finally we sigh in unison, straighten our postures as we stand back up, our search for this room completed, with nothing to show for it. “Well, let’s move on to the next one,” We walk to the next room, a frown curling my face a little since her hand no longer is against mine like before. It was nearly comforting, the brief contact of her skin, like an anchor. 

Each of the rooms are crudely decorated, some more crowded than others, but none of them are fruitful. I feel useless, and whenever we would pass the other three, Leon’s gaze latches onto me, trying to figure out the cloudy dissatisfaction on it. But they never rush over to us to exclaim that they had managed to make progress at taking off the metal sheets, so I guess they hadn’t gotten anything good either. At least Chihiro looked happy with them. Eventually, Junko and I make it through each class room, nothing turning up.

“Ughhhhhhhhh,” Junko groans, her hands busy poofing the pigtails at her sides. Shutting the last set of doors, she looks around for the other three. Their punches are muffled and echoey from behind one of the doors, but neither of us can tell which. “They better be hurrying up,”

I nod, leaning one shoulder against the wall and yawning. The fogginess from waking up alone in the classroom still hasn’t gone away, and I’m hoping it’s because this is all some kind of nonsense dream. 

In silence, we wait, the sound of their struggling being the only noise to be heard. 

“So…” Junko looks at me pointedly, jutting her head in the direction of the three’s noises. 

“Oh, I can go see if they’re almost done then,” I say, and hurry away from her. The judgement in her gaze is unrestrained, but it seems like that is the default for her. As I approach the sound, it’s still unclear where it is coming from, so I open each door and peek inside for them. On my third try I get it right, and they're all inside attempting to unscrew a nut from a bolt. “Hey, have you guys been to each room?” 

Hiro looks my way, nodding, “This is the last one, but we’re not giving up!”

“Hey, come help us out with this!” Leon calls, moving back to make a space for me between him and the bolt, similar to what Hiro had done to me earlier. I make haste walking over , and put my hands on the nut like before. Leon shuffles closer to me, his hands resting near mine on the nut, but not directly over like Hiro had done, and is currently doing, with Chihiro. With each of our hands on the nut, we try to move it, and I feel Leon’s chin knock against the back of my head. Chihiro’s thin eyebrows are upturned, the whites of her eyes tainted red. Hiro’s face is scrunched in frustration, and we all pour our most into the effort, but to no avail. It doesn’t even budge. How had someone screwed these on in the first place? Maybe the person behind Monokuma had put some kind of superglue between the bolt and the nut. After trying too long, we hear Junko’s heels click down the hallway, then she appears at the door, tall and annoyed. 

“What is taking you guys so long! I sent Etsuko after you, but then she just joined you losers! Come on, we’ve been at this way too long,” she huffs, crossing her arms over her chest. Hesitantly, I feel Leon’s weight against my back leave, and he walks over to Junko, mimicking her expression. 

“Maybe if you had been here we would have gotten this done quicker,”

“Yeah right, I’m not even that strong, I mean look at these arms!” She holds up an arm, her other hand moving over to her clothed bicep as she loosely flexes her arm. It could just be my imagination, but it does look like she has significant muscle on her arm, more than Chihiro and I combined. Again, what fashionista would have to go through some kind of brute training that would give her muscle  _ and  _ rough hands?

Hagakure looks down at his wrist as if there is a watch on it. Footsteps are echoing down the hallway, and his expression brightens with a sudden realization. “Guys, come on! We have to meet Taka in the dining hall, to all discuss our investigations!” In some kind of awkward march, he leaves the room, Chihiro rushing to stay by his side. Junko follows, her posture perfect and poised, as if strutting down a runway, and Leon is by her side but pauses to look back at me from the doorway. 

“You coming?”

I nod at him, hustling to leave the classroom and join him at the back of the group. A ways ahead of us in the hallway, is another group of people, consisting of the buff Sakura Ogami, the moody Mondo Owada, and the bubbly Aoi Asahina. Approaching the dining hall, we can hear someone shouting, then a series of high pitched giggles, and then people greeting the group that had already gone in. We follow, seeing Kiyotaka, Makoto, and Sayaka in there along with the people ahead of us. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you so much for reading this! lots of love <3


	6. Chapter 6

We each take seats at the long table in the middle of the dining hall, Kiyotaka greeting everyone individually. Makoto is already sitting at his side, and Mondo takes the seat next to him, his feet propped up on the table, which earns a glare and a cut short hello from Kiyotaka. There’s a free space next to Junko and Sakura, which Leon rushes over to claim, so I sit opposite to him next to Hagakure, whose arm is slung over the back of the metal chair. They aren’t the most comfortable things to sit on, but it wasn’t like I was expecting some type of comfort in this harsh atmosphere. 

“Greeting, Etsuko! I look forward to hearing how your search went!” Kiyotaka smiles at me, and I nod back, waving at the deep purple haired boy. Turning back to the entrance, he shouts, “Hello Toko! I hope your search was great!” 

She shudders under his gaze, and Byakuya strides past her, putting up one hand to shush Kiyotaka before he can greet him too. Despite the open number of seats at the table, Togami takes a seat at a round table, and Toko follows to stand near him for some reason. It didn’t seem like Byakuya liked her very much...but maybe there was something going on I didn’t know about between them. Either way, it wasn’t really my business, and I smile at Celeste who is pulling out the seat to my left to sit in. 

“Hey Celeste, did you find anything?” I say, avoiding one of her impressive drills as she leans over to me. 

“To put it simply, I didn’t search,” she smiles at me, content. It ticks me off a little, that the others were out wandering around this strange academy, and she had spent the whole time relaxing in the gym. It occured to me that maybe she was so freaked out she couldn’t dare to leave the gym, but if that was the case she certainly didn’t show it. 

“How come?” I still ask, hoping that I could get an answer that could satisfy the flicker of annoyance twitching at my eye. 

Shrugging, she looks at the others lightly conversing with each other as the last few people arrive, “I suppose I just thought it better to adapt to the situation, rather than go on a wild goose chase,”

“Okay then,” I mumble, clearing my throat to try to shove away the irritation seeping into my voice. I had taken a break with Leon, but I still tried picking up that slack, so the idea of such a keen person hanging back to waste time seemed nearly inexcusable. I was hoping that she had just been panicking inwardly. Afterall, she must have mastered the art of the pokerface, being the Ultimate Gambler and all. “Was anyone else in the gym with you?”

“Yes, but I’m sure they’ll disclose that as soon as we all start our discussion.”

“Okay!” Kiyotaka shouts, his voice overpowering whatever Celeste had started to say next. His arms are braced on the table, his legs planted firmly on the ground as he bends over the table to look over everyone. “It looks like everyone’s here. Time to start the meeting! Let’s all go around and share what we found out during our respective investigations! The sooner we find out what’s going on, the sooner we get out of here!”

Before anyone can start sharing, Junko interrupts, “Wait, hold on a sec!”

“What’s wrong!?” Kiyotaka’s voice is filled with his usual assertive enthusiasm, and despite the loud tone of his voice, he doesn’t appear annoyed with Junko’s interception. 

“What about, uh...what’s her name? You know, the silver-haired girl.” Junko mindlessly plays with one of her large tufts of hair as she tries coming up with the name. 

“Kyoko Kirigiri?” I say, remembering the poised, calm, girl who hadn’t told me her ultimate. She was also elegant, but not in the same way as Celeste, but more of a professional kind of way. 

Kiyotaka stiffens. “...What about her?”

“She’s not here,” Junko points out, and I realize that the mysterious girl wasn’t at the table, and she wasn’t lingering elsewhere in the room either. I feel bad realizing it only now that she was absent. 

Kiyotaka steps back, disbelief dilating his eyes, and he looks about ready to punish himself like before for forgetting one of our classmates, if that’s what we’d call each other. “What!?”

“I wonder where she went, has anyone seen her?” Hina speaks up as everyone looks around the room, then shakes their head in response to her. 

Chihiro’s voice is more timid than the other time's she’s used it, and when I peer around Celeste’s shoulder to look at the girl, she looks extremely frightened. “Wait, so  _ nobody’s  _ seen her?”

Everyone at once is reminded of Monokuma’s words before...and everyone is reminded of the possibility of what could have caused her absence at the dining hall. It couldn’t be possible...even if someone dared to betray us, Kirigiri was the type to evade that situation, the kind to outsmart some feverish teenage killer. 

“Darn it, Kyoko! You’re really going to be late like this on the first day of school!? Not only is she late, she didn’t tell anyone she would be late! A most unbecoming personality trait…”

A few people send glares to Kiyotaka for that being the most important concern regarding Kyoko on his mind. Out of all the possibilities, Kiyotaka was more worried about a tardy peer than a murderer amongst us, and a girl so full of potential being stolen from the world. Maybe he was just trying to bring a sense of normalcy to the room, as if we are just all planning to eat dinner together at a regular Academy, where there is no such thought of a killing game in our minds. 

“You’re being a real jackass right now, you know that?” Junko says what surely some of us are thinking, and Kiyotaka’s frown deepens at her choice of language. A small line of sweat glistens at his brow, clearly he’s wounded by her words. 

“Well, what do you want me to do!? Punctuality is everything!” Kiyotaka musters to say after the pink haired girl’s cutting remarks, and I sigh. It appears he wasn’t trying to force normalcy on us, and instead really believed what he was saying. “Now then, I declare that the first session of the Hope’s Peak Academy briefing meetings has begun!”

Sayaka murmurs a few things to Makoto across from her, and both of their faces tint pink. I’m surprised Kiyotaka doesn’t condemn their flirting like he had done earlier during introductions. Shit, those introductions already seem like a lifetime ago, so much has changed since I had walked through the gates of opportunity of this academy just this morning. 

First, we decide to talk about the people who went off on their own, and Byakuya is the first to speak to the others. “I wanted to try and find some clue as to who’s responsible for imprisoning us here...But unfortunately, I made no such discoveries. That’s all from me…”

He is looking away from the main table, almost embarrassed with the fact he hadn’t managed to find anything. At least he hadn’t slacked as much as whoever was in the gym with Celeste. 

“Really? That’s it?” Kiyotaka presses further. 

“If I’d uncovered anything, naturally I would have more to say. But I didn’t. So I don’t.” 

“R-right, understood…” Kiyotaka seems a little flustered with Byakuya’s blunt words, then brushes it off to share his own discoveries. “I spent some time looking around the dormitory, and…” he pauses, for some kind of dramatic effect, before raising his voice to fill the room. “There I made the discovery of the century! I found that there was exactly one room for each person!”

The discovery of the century???  
“Well yeah, I figured that out before anything else…” Hina points out what many others are probably thinking. I wonder where Kiyotaka was while Leon and I were at the dorms, since we had been there for a good chunk of time. Had he really lingered around with the others in the gym before finding the dorms and making that shocking discovery? For someone who was the leader type, his search wasn’t proving his skills, but I suppose he was already trying to arrange the meeting in the dining hall for us, which was useful. 

“Each door already has a nameplate on it, so I guess all the rooms have been assigned already.” Junko says. 

Sakura speaks next, “And each room key was attached to a keychain with the owner’s name precision-etched onto it.”

“And Chihiro and I found out that all the rooms are totally soundproof.” Junko adds, and Chihiro shakes her head, confirming her words. That must have been why Chihiro had’t heard us calling for her. We had been pretty loud about it, so the sound proofing must have been extremely strong.

“Your next-door neighbor could scream their lungs out, and you wouldn’t hear a thing…” Everyone tenses at Chihiro’s words. “But each room also has a bathroom that can lock too,”

“But it looks like there were only locks on the bathrooms in the girls’ dorms.” 

Makoto look confused as Junko tells everyone that, as if when he was in his own room that hadn’t applied. 

“Okay, so they got a bunch of rooms ready for us. They’re assuming we’re gonna be here a while…” Mondo grumbles, and everyone is displeased with that idea. 

Kiyotaka interrupts the room before everyone can turn fully sullen at the idea of spending the rest of our lives in this place. “Well, better to have than have not! At least we don’t have to worry about surviving like wild animals.”

“Th-that can’t be all you have to r-report, can it Mr. Honor S-Student?” Toko stutters out, and that silences Kiyotaka for a second. 

“That’s all I have for my report! Let’s move on to whoever’s next!”

My group goes next to share, and I hope that the others aren’t going to be disappointed by my lack of important discovery. All I found out was that escape from here was appearing to be more impossible than I wished. 

“We went all up and down the school, double checking the windows in all the hallways and classes.” Junko starts for us, “We wanted to see if we could get any of those metal plates to come off. And what happened was-”

Leon interjects, hand ruffling his hair. “Nothing. Not a damn thing. We couldn’t get a single one to budge even a little bit.”

“There wasn’t any hope of escape anywhere…” Chihiro says what I had been thinking a second ago, tears stinging her wide eyes. “The school really has been totally cut off.”

“Junko and I looked around every room in the school building for any kind of hints to what this place is, but there was nothing in any of them,” I say, willing my voice to not betray the fear shaking my hands. The weight of their eyes shift to me as I speak, and a sharp pinch on my thigh makes me almost jump in my chair. “Nothing under the wallpaper, nothing in the desks,”

“This sucks…It  _ really  _ sucks! It sucks sucks sucks sucks SUCKS!” Junko exclaims, sweat dripping down her porcelain skin. The eyes that were on me flicker to her, except for one silvery pair. I shake it off, not wanting to meet any eyes that would be able to see the depth of my fear in my own. “What the hell are we gonna do!?”

“Goddamn, calm down! You’re starting to make me nervous!” I look up to see Leon’s lip twitching, and I wish I was closer to him to try to give him some kind of solace...I wasn’t the best at comforting anyone, but at this moment I wished more than I ever had before that I had that skill. 

Hina and her small group go next, sharing how they tried to break down the door in the main hall, but there had been no hope of breaking it down, not even with Sakura and Mondo’s combined strength. And they also found a flight of stairs that had been blocked off to them with a gate. And they couldn’t get past that obstacle either. Then Celeste tells the others how her, Toko, and Hifumi all stayed in the gym and did nothing. 

“What the hell were you thinking, just sitting around the gym the whole time?” Junko exclaims in disbelief. It is clear how infuriated she is, having to go around each room only to find nothing, while those three were as useful as a fish’s attempts to climb a tree. 

Toko’s brow furrows, and her teeth grit. “W-Well it’s not like any of you i-invited me along! Nobody said hey, c-come with us!” I understand her conflict with not being invited to anyone’s groups, but I wonder if she still could have gone out on her own to explore and possibly look at areas one of us missed. Certainly, it was more appealing to go on your own to explore rather than be berated for doing nothing. “I blame y-you for leaving me out! I-it’s your fault!”

“If you wanted to go with someone, you should’ve just said something!” Junko shoots up from her chair, her fists clenched at her sides. She looks ready to punch the meeker girl, who starts to cower in her spot near the indifferent Togami. 

“Hmph. F-Forget it. Like I’d w-want to go anywhere with a dirty s-slut like you…” Toko mutters, and I frown. Really? She was going to insult another girl like that?

“Don’t say that, Toko,” I say, but she’s too busy thinking of insults to hurl at Junko to notice my weak words. 

“Slut…” Junko repeats, and Toko looks satisfied to have that kind of effect on the other girl. 

“Your mind is as th-thin as your body. You m-make me sick to my s-stomach…”

“Toko! Keep that shit to yourself! Junko is fine, now shut up!” I shout, already tired of having the girl hurl insult after another towards Junko’s appearance. It couldn’t fathom how someone could do that when they already think so lowly of themselves, apparent when she thought people were repulsed by her during introductions. 

Junko takes a few imposing steps forward. “I...I don’t even know how to react. How can you say something so awful to someone you just met?” 

“Yeah, shaming Junko is going to do nothing but make her even more upset!” Hina raises her voice, her hands clenched on the collar of her red track jacket. 

“Alright guys, everybody just calm down, okay?” Hiro says, one hand playing with his hairstyle, which is somehow defying every single law of gravity. “All this stress is bad for your skin, y’know?” 

“Yeah! It sounds like you two are so close now you’re fighting like sisters!” Sayaka asserts, and Junko’s head jerks to send her an unimpressed glare. I don’t know what mental gymnastics Sayaka had to go through to reach that conclusion… “I went and had a look around the dining hall. I found a fridge in the back of the kitchen, and it was overflowing with all kinds of stuff. I guess we don’t have to worry about food, at least.”

I am a little relieved hearing about what Sayaka had discovered in the kitchen, at least I wouldn’t have to starve to death, which was already painful when I would forget to eat for a day, too caught up in taking care of things around my house or for school. 

“Sure, for now. But even with all that, there are fifteen of us. How long can the food last?” Hifumi looks a little displeased still. But if Monokuma says that we could live here the rest of our lives, surely there would be enough food for us for all that time. 

“Y-you can just eat sesame s-seeds or something…: Toko suggests, and I wonder how far this girl has to go. If she wants people to like her, then there would be a better chance of that if she didn’t insult others every chance she could. 

“Huh? What am I, a parakeet?”

Sayaka grins, despite the harsh words that Toko keeps throwing out. “I don’t think we have to worry about it. All the food gets restocked automatically each day. At least, that’s what Monokuma said…”

This was the one time that I hope for what Monokuma to be saying was true. Was he really that steeped in money that whoever was behind him could just give us an unlimited supply of food? 

“You saw him!?” Junko’s skin pales further than it already naturally was. 

“Yeah, he came out of nowhere while I was checking the fridge, told me that, then disappeared again.” Sayaka affirms, shaking her head solidly. Being alone with Monokuma in this strange place...it was a scary thought, and I couldn’t imagine how unsettled she must have been if he really did pop out of nowhere while she was investigating. “He was so fast, I can’t believe someone could have been moving him around with a remote control…”

“A weaponized toy that can just appear from nowhere...I can’t tell if we’re supposed to be afraid or not.” Chihiro offers, and I wonder if she has the kind of knowledge that could determine whether he was really a remote control toy. Not that I was seriously considering that he was some kind of naturally born bear, that was even more unbelievable than the situation we were in. 

“But was everything okay? He didn’t try to like, eat you or anything?” Hina asks. 

Hifumi is clutching the straps of his backpack, his face flushing. “E-eat her?” His voice becomes breathy and creepy. “Um, what do you mean by that? I mean, when you say ‘eat,’ what kind of eating are we talking about?”

“C-come on, man!” Hina exclaims, at the same time I say, “Cool your jets, weirdo! Hina was just checking in on Sayaka!”

Leon joins in, repulsed and sticking his tongue out at Hifumi. His tongue piercing glints in the light. “What the hell, fatty!? You’re acting like some kind of sleazy drunk dude.” I wince at his words, looking down at my legs on my chair. 

“Not like there’s a good kind of drunk dude…” Hagakure adds.

“Hey! Stop screwing around, all of you!” Junko says through clenched teeth. “Are you still asleep or something? We’re prisoners here! We could all just die any second!”

Mondo joins in on Junko’s scolding, “She’s right. We can’t be makin’ stupid jokes right now. We gotta do something, or-”

A monotone voice cuts through the rest of Mondo’s enraged words. “You’re all spending an awful lot of time yelling and carrying on.”

We all turn to the entrance of the dining hall, and I smile when I see Kirigiri standing there. I wonder if she had been lingering there for most of the meeting, and that none of us had noticed, too captivated by the conversation. 

“Do you really think you can afford to do so? Have none of you accepted the reality of the situation?”

Kiyotaka is quick to point at her, his words jumbled and angry. “Kyoko! Where the heck have you been? We already started the meeting without you!” 

Unresponding, Kyoko steps forward to the table, dropping a single piece of paper onto it from one gloved hand. Everyone seated at the long white table leans forward, hoping to get a look at the paper now resting on the top. With one finger, Makoto pulls it towards him. 

“Huh? What’s this?”

Kyoko is quick to answer Makoto’s query. “It appears to be a map of Hope’s Peak Academy.”

“A map?”

I crane my head further, unable to really see past Celeste’s massive drills and Hina’s upright ponytail. I feel two hands grip onto my arms, and I turn to see Hagakure grinning at me. “Do you want me to lift you up so you can see?” He starts to try to lift me up, and I frown as I see his brow sheen with sweat as he only gets my feet an inch off the ground. 

“I’m good, thanks,” I say, and he drops me back down. My arms wrap around my stomach, and I sit back down, knowing I’ll probably get a chance to just look at the map later.   
“Wh-what the?” Kiyotaka is flushing with embarrassment while looking at Kyoko. “Where did you find this?”

Her purple eyes cast a glare in Kiyotaka’s direction once again. “It doesn’t matter where I found it.”

“It DOES matter! You’re really freaking us out right now!” It seems that Kiyotaka, with his stern panicked expression and raucous voice, is the only one still freaking out over the map. Everyone else is pretty much just confused and curious. 

“Never mind that,” Junko shakes one manicured hand in the air, “What’s it mean?”

“Just look at it.” Kyoko states coldly. “The building we’re in right now is laid out in precisely the same way as Hope’s Peak Academy.”

“So what you’re saying is...this really is Hope’s Peak Academy?” Makoto says, and everyone looks shocked. At first most of us believed this to be some kind of prank...and if this really was Hope’s Peak, what the hell could have happened that had made someone trap us in here? Where was the administration to protect us? Who attached all of those sheets to the windows of such a prestigious place?

“Well, in terms of its construction, yes. But it looks like it’s had a number of strange...renovations done to it.” 

“You mean renovations like the things on the windows?” I ask. 

“I don’t know all the details yet. All I found was details about the 1st floor.”

“But then…” Chihiro’s voice trembles, “this really is Hope’s Peak. We didn’t get kidnapped and taken to some other place…”

“And I doubt someone could have rebuilt an entire building like it. Already it took a lot of government funding just to set this place up. But that also brings the question of how someone could take over a place like this so easily. I remember hearing stories of guards protecting this place before, knocking some trespassers out, and some Ultimates hung around to guard too.” I think out loud, one hand resting to cup the side of my face as I slump down into my chair. 

Mondo shakes his head firmly, his teeth clenched when he speaks. “So stupid it’s not even possible.  _ This  _ is where the country’s future elite are supposed to come and learn?”

Hina gives him an expression filled with warning, probably to simmer down. “But if this really is Hope’s Peak, where are all the other students?”

We all consider her question for a moment. Surely we would have seen traces of other students on our search, but all there was were rooms looked prepared for an incoming class. 

“Hey, come on, guys. Let’s just stop talking about all this..you know, negative stuff…” Hagakure frowns, his eyes crossing as he looks down at the ground. He appears really worried, more worried then his usual happy-go-lucky personality is used to. As if he can’t handle the emotion it’s so foreign to him. His hands are resting on his hips, but move every few seconds as if confused about what they are supposed to be doing. 

“But aren’t you worried? Things don’t look good…” Makoto speaks up, his expression stern like Kyoko’s. 

Hiro looks up to everyone’s faces, seeing the worry he has mirrored on their own. Quickly, he smiles. “Worried? What’s there to be worried about?” His voice is high and enthused, a chuckle barely making it out at the end of his sentence. “I mean, this was all planned out, right? The people in charge of Hopes’ Peak put this all together, right?” The sharp pitch turning up with every time he says right makes it seem more like he is trying to convince himself of things being okay. “Man, if I got stressed out every time something like this happened, I’d have ectoplasm shooting out of my mouth! Good things come to those who wait, right? So we just gotta chill and everything’ll work itself out!”

“How many times has this type of thing happened to you, Hiro?” I ask, concerned by his words. 

Before he can start to answer, Celeste’s clipped laugh echoes across the dining hall, prompting Toko to ask, “Wh-why are you laughing? What’s so funny!?”

“I am just happy, that is all. It seems splitting up to investigate was a good idea, after all.” Her hands intertwine in a flat line under her chin, a signature position for them it seems since she does it quite a bit. 

“Haven’t you b-been listening!? Looking around was a t-total waste of t-time! We d-didn’t find a way out, didn’t f-find who’s behind this. We still have no idea what’s g-going on!”

Celeste’s eyes widen, one hand raised to cover her mouth in surprise. “Huh? Is it not crystal clear to you what is going on?” Her voice turns patronizing, which makes Toko’s hand close in tight fists. “It is perfectly obvious that we have been imprisoned in some secret location, with no way out.”

Gulping, I avert my eyes from Celeste, who is staring down a bewildered Toko, who is now grabbing at her head. The reality of this dire situation, I won’t accept it no matter what. If I accept it, I would be giving up. Giving up was a familiar disappointment that had settled in my bones so many times, too many to count, but this time, I couldn’t. Not when this reality had other’s lives on the line. Even if it meant dying, I couldn’t succumb to the hopelessness of Celeste’s words, of the harsh killing game we were all forced to be in. Two fingers hold the thick skin of my thigh tight, and I can’t bring myself to let go, the pain strangely comforting in this foreign world. 

“You didn’t h-have to go and s-say that. I w-was trying not to th-think about it…” Toko’s head shakes frantically, her features blur and her glasses droop down her nose, threatening to fall. “N-no way out...we’re t-trapped here. What are w-we supposed to d-do?”

“It’s very simple. If you want to leave, you just have to kill-” Byakuya’s lips stretch into a smirk as he says the words. 

“Don’t even joke about that!” Junko shouts, her freckled cheeks turning pink with fierce anger. 

Sayaka eyes the two, sensing the tension in the air that seems to reappear every other minute. “Everyone just calm down, please!”

That makes the two of them stop eyeing each other and turn to look at the pop star.

“We need to stop and think about what to do from here.”

Leon speaks next, his voice wavering through the stale air. A nervous smile, the one that has become so familiar so soon, appears on his glistening face. “There’s gotta be  _ something _ we can do…”

“All we can do is adapt. Adapt to living our lives here from now on.” Celeste says simply, and Leon’s foot kicks forward and hits my shin. Mouthing sorry at me, Leon’s face turns apologetic, eyebrows scrunched. I shrug, just hoping that his shoe didn’t have anything on it that could stain my stockings. 

Chihiro’s voice manages to become even weaker this time she speaks. “Live here? Are you saying we should just accept it?”

“A lack of adaptability...is a lack of survivability.” Celeste now casts her demeaning gaze on the teary-eyed girl who just spoke. “Survival is not based on who is the strongest or the smartest. It comes down to who can adapt. As someone who has come out on top more than once, I have a suggestion.”

A vein appears, tense, on Mondo’s temple. “Huh? What do you mean?”

“We all understand that we are trapped here. Which means we will be spending the night. However...you all remember the rule regarding nighttime, right? So, regarding this ‘night time,’ I think we need to add a rule of our own.”

The question, “What do you mean?” rings around the room from multiple people.

“Going out at night time should be prohibited altogether. The school regulations do not actually tell us not to go out at night. I would like to make it official.”

“B-but why?” Toko cries, wringing her hands in front of her chest. 

“The way things are now, every time night comes we will all start to get worried and anxious. We will all be afraid someone might try and come kill us. If we have to worry about that night after night for who knows how long, it will wear us down in no time.” 

Sakura speaks, her low voice interrupting Celeste’s dainty one. “So you’re suggesting we limit our activity at night as a kind of preventative measure.”

“However, unlike the other rules, nobody can be forced to comply. We all have to agree to follow it.” Celeste states simply, smiling at the end of her words. 

“I see what you mean. But...I think I can agree to that.” Junko taps her heel against the floor a couple times, apparently impatient with the discussion. “It’s like the goth lolita said. Without something like that, we’re just gonna self-destruct.”

“On behalf of all the men here, I agree to comply!” - Kiyotaka grins, holding out two hands. 

There is no reason for any of us to object, but still, Leon shouts, “Hey, you can’t just decide to speak for us!” - Leon

“So everyone is in agreement? Good.” Celeste stands, poising her hands on the table before bidding us goodbye. “Then if you will excuse me…”

“Huh? Wait, where are you going?” Chihiro looks up to the girl. 

“It is almost night time. I want to take a shower before it arrives. So...goodbye” Celeste pushes her chair out of the way, then walks out of the room, skirt swishing side to side. The departure was so fluent and natural, Kiyotaka doesn’t even move to prevent her. Eventually, the clicking of her heels resides, and she is officially gone. 

“S-so I guess it’s pretty obvious where we go from here. We’ll be spending the night, it looks like.” Hifumi stands next, adjusting the straps of his backpack. 

Sakura’s low voice murmurs, “Adaptability…”

“So, Mr. Chairman...what’s next? One person already left.” Junko questions. “And it looks like the rest of us want to too.”

“U-Umm…” Kiyotaka fumbles for a response to the fashionista. The meeting he planned didn’t seem to turn out the way he wanted, most of the groups getting information that only makes the atmosphere more sinister. No hope for escape had been raised. “Well then, what say we call an end to today’s meeting!? Like she said, it’s almost night time anyway. We can reconvene first thing tomorrow morning!”

“Do we really have to stay the night here?” Chihiro covers her face in her hands, hiding away her tears.

“We don’t have a choice. We can’t go for long without getting some sleep.” Junko turns away from the table, yawning. 

Mondo gets up next, his anger wearing away to disappointment. “So we have to just give up..”

“I wouldn’t consider it giving up,” I shrug, and feel his narrow eyes make their way over to look at me. “We just need to get more energy so we can work on escaping tomorrow.” 

“That’s all f-fine and good, but how w-would we even do that t-tommorow?” Toko asks. “W-we didn’t find any hint at what to d-do,”

“Our only option is to split up and look around again, and let everyone know if we find anything.” Sakura sighs. 

Hina is one to bring more energy to the dim conversation, her eyes wide. “Yeah, okay. Let’s do that!”

“Then we’re done for today? Good, I’m exhausted…” Junko finally walks away from the table, yawning again on her way out. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heya! thank you so much if you're reading this! the next few chapters are going to include a lot less game dialogue. if you're reading, I hope you're enjoying the story so far! lots of love <3


	7. Chapter 7

As everyone gets up from the table and leaves for their dorms, I hang back, still in a state of shock. Sayaka and Makoto are still chatting at their seats, but the chill of isolation settles in my bones. I see a pair of silver eyes look back at me before hesitantly leaving, and I hang my head between my hands. Still talking to each other, Makoto and Sayaka rise from their seats and go, and I’m truly by myself in the dining hall. It’s just me left. Fear seizes me, my heart thrums in my ears. How can I get through a night all alone here, when there is the chance someone will…. I can’t let myself think of things like that, I remind myself, but it’s no use, and a pinch on my leg makes me startle forward, head banging against the table. Woozy, I get up, staring down at my shaking hands. Shutting them into fists, my nails dig into the skin there. All I can think about is me sleeping soundly in one of the dorms, a wistful expression like Leon’s earlier painted on my face, until suddenly, my blotched skin is splattered in pink, and a sharp knife is dug deep into my torso. My body shuts down, my heart slowly making its way to a permanent stop, my eyes shut in a permanent slumber. As if in some trance, I step forward, almost losing my balance, but make it out of the dining hall, and see Hiro and Leon passing a few words as they slowly make their way around the large white main room of the “despair hotel.” Hurrying my steps, I make it to Leon as he stands in place for a little after Hiro left. A question forms in my mind, a way that could prevent a sudden death while I sleep.

“Hey, Leon?” I ask, my voice timid, my hand reaching out to grab the cuff of his sleeve. Leon twirls around, his eyes startled, but then they soften holding a comforting, gentle warmth. 

“Yeah? What’s up?” His arm hanging between us. My grip on his sleeve tightens. Noticing, he steps forward and puts his warm hand over mine. I can feel slight calluses on his palm. “Is something wrong?”

“Well...I don’t want this to be a weird request…” I bite down on my lip, trying to put off asking him. He’s the only one I trust enough to ask this of, but I fear that he is too wary of me and will decline my request. 

“Just shoot!” He reassures, smiling, the right side of his smile pulling higher. By now, I recognize that as meaning he’s nervous, and it makes me flush.

“Well, with all this going on, I was really worried...and scared. I’m sure everyone is, but I was thinking…” I wince, my free hand pinching the skin of my thigh. “I’m sorry, this is dumb. Forget about this.” I pull away from him, I hadn’t realized how close he had gotten, there was barely half a foot between us. I let go of his sleeve, and he takes the opportunity to hold my hand in his, his thumb soothingly rubbing my knuckles.

“Whatever you’re worrying about, you don’t have to worry. Just say what you want to, okay?”

“Well, I figured that it would be safest to pair up, so in case anything happens, which probably won’t, I can be safe with you. I was going to ask you to stay in my room...or for us to stay together for the night.”

As soon as the words leave my mouth, he freezes. “You aren’t planning to get me alone to kill me, right?” 

Staggering back, I feel my heart halt for a moment, my face goes cold. Just the suggestion of Leon...of Leon...I shake my head fervently. “What?!? No, of course not, Leon. I was just thinking you’re really strong, from your Ultimate, and I feel safer around you, so that’s why I thought you could do that, but if it makes you uncomfortable, then of course you don’t have to!”

“When we went off together today, you didn’t try anything, and you don’t seem mentally strong enough to hurt someone…” Leon says under his breath, considering what I had said. “I trust you right now. It makes sense what you are thinking, but I’m like, hesitant to be caught alone with anyone. But you’re not just anyone, you’re like my friend now. I think your idea is cool, so sure.”

“Really? Thank you Leon!” I want to embrace him, but he still is holding my hand softly. “I don’t think the rules say anything that we can’t do that...but I should ask Monokuma right?”

“That scary stuffed toy? You can go ahead and do that, I don’t want to encounter that thing. I’ll be waiting by your door, alright?” 

“Yes,” Leon leaves for the red hallway where the dorms are, and Monokuma shortly appears in front of me, laughing.

“You two want to stay the night in each other’s rooms! How naughty! Are you planning to kill him? Good luck!” His voice is obnoxious, loud as usual, and I pray to the gods that no one else can hear the thing. 

“No, why would I do that? You talk about the worst stuff,” I say, looking away from the bear and noticing Leon hovering by the entrance to the red hallway for dorms. 

“That’s too bad,” Monokuma looks almost...sad...now. “But you two still are going to share a room? Are you two that starved already?”

“Huh?!?”

“Don’t play dumb with me!” He raises his claws, then laughs. “You wanted to ask me about the rules, right?”

“Yeah, we can stay in the same room, right? It just says we have to sleep in a dorm room.” 

“Yup! Sleeping with each other is not a problem! Just remember, the security cameras will catch whatever you two decide to do with each other!” Monokuma starts to pant its words, swaying side to side coyly. It’s starting to get on my nerves, but now that I have the answers I need, I sigh in relief. 

“Thanks, Monokuma. It’s impressive how fast you arrived here when I mentioned your name. You are like, really high tech, huh?”

“Bye bye now!” He suddenly exclaims, and disappears into a nearby room. I head over to the dorm entrance, seeing a bright red flash disappear as swiftly as Monokuma did. I don’t blame Leon for being suspicious. It was smart for him to linger to hear if I was going to discuss my plans for murder to Monokuma. I slow my pace, so Leon has an opportunity to get back to the dorm before I can catch him. I don’t think he noticed I saw him, so he probably would be comfortable with me not knowing what he did. But I should be honest with him right? I lose myself in thought as I approach the dorm hallways, my eyes trained on the ground. I nearly pass my room when a hand stops me. 

“Hey, are you like, hypnotized or something?” I hear Leon’s voice laugh.

I shake my head, returning to reality, the thoughts of pink blood spattered on the walls receding to the back of my mind. “Nah, I was just spacing out. Have you been waiting for a while?”

“No, not really.” He clears his throat, leaning back against the wall and relaxing. “So what did Monokuma say?”

“It’s not against the rules, we should be fine.” 

“Sweet!” I look up to see the pixel version of me, and my name right below it. I grab the key out of the lock, this is the first time going into my room so it is still untouched. Inside, it is bright red, the sheets on the bed a shade of light pink. “Do you need to grab stuff from your dorm for tonight? Like a pillow or blanket?”

“Ah, you’re right! I’ll be right back!” He hurries down the hallway, and I survey my room once over. Bundles of fabric are piled on top of each other in one corner, and a few mannequins with tape measures around their cloth necks are standing at the opposite side of the room. Had this room been tailored to my tastes like Leon’s had? Inside, it smells like the perfume I would spray on my wrists on special occasions, and instead of the scent being a comfort like it usually was in the mornings, it perturbed me. How had whoever was behind this even known the scent I used? I shake the thought away as I see a large bookshelf resting next to the door to the bathroom, and some of my favorite mangas are placed inside, along with some figures I had wanted for a really long time. I really hope this is all some kind of sick joke. I gulp, turning away from the neatly arranged bookshelf. Frowning, I see a small sewing kit on a cabinet. Was this another thing supposed to be for me specifically? If it was, I was half-pleased. Monokuma was definitely messed up, but this room was still cool, I admit to myself. I doubt he would teach us, so now I could have a way to spend my time. I glance over at a piece of paper on the wall, blocky handwriting filling the page. Wondering what it says, I push my glasses up and step closer to it to make out the messy font.

Pain sharp and thorough, I pinch myself. Shaking, I rip it from the wall and throw it far from me, the contents of the page upsetting my stomach, and the emptiness inside of it makes me queasy. Whatever nice thing I had thought about finding that sewing kit, I take back. It was not in any way a nice thing to find, it turned out to be placed specifically to be used as an instrument for murder. Still, I suppose I could use it for normal sewing activities, but that doesn’t shake the chill from my body, the clench of my cut. There wasn’t a rule about using it for something other than killing someone. Walking back to the sewing kit, I take a closer look at it, seeing the human anatomy vaguely at the bottom of the container. I can't help but stare at it in disbelief. A sudden knocking interrupts my daze. 

“Hey, you alright? You’re a little pale,” Leon’s calming voice reaches me, and I turn away from the sewing box, nodding my head. 

“I was just confused about-“ In one hand, his ringed fingers curl around a pillow and a blanket, and in the other is a box, and I can make out a screwdriver inside. He kicks the door shut behind him. No, Leon is my friend. Leon is here to help me. There’s no reason to think he wants to do something bad. No reason at all. But all I can see in his hand is an enormous, glaring red flag. 

My fingers squeeze the thick skin at my thighs.

“There’s definitely something up. Do you want to like, talk about it or something?” The right side of his lip perks up, it’s something endearing about him. When he doesn’t get a response, he drops his items and hurriedly walks over to me. “Hey, did something happen? Did someone try to pull something when I was gone? I swear, if it was that fatty I’ll-“

My hand clutched over my stomach. Another pinch. Leon…

“No, no one did anything. And please don’t say fatty.”

“Huh? Why not?” Brows perking up, he puts a hand on my shoulder, momentarily forgetting his worry. I freeze. Why can’t I just trust him?

Looking down at myself, it's apparent I’m skinny by any means. Did he not see the problem? “It’s dumb for you to say that. Do you see who you’re talking to?”

His silver eyes trail me up and down, slowly, but he remains confused. “You’re not fat?” He says it like he isn’t sure of it himself.

“Don’t say it like it’s a bad thing, and I am overweight, obviously. There’s plenty of other things to make fun of Hifumi for.”

He shrugs. “Like the fact he wears glasses?”

“Leon,” I am exasperated by now. “Byakuya wears glasses and he’s like the most intimidating person ever. And I wear glasses too, isn’t that a weird thing to make fun of?”

“Hmmm…he likes anime! What a weeb!!”

“Leon…he’s literally Japanese...” I sigh, looking at the ground, and the uneasiness returns to me, the almost light-hearted banter making me forget the fear that had rung through me. “What’s in the box?”

“It’s a tool box,” he turns and grabs it from the floor, and I flinch when he shows it to my face. “I’m not very good with tools, but I thought it could come in handy!”

“With what, sneaking into the girls’ bathrooms?” I murmur. 

His face glows red, “No, no!! Of course not! Why would I even think of doing that!!! I’m not some kind of sleazy guy!”

“You’re just making it sound even more like you were thinking of doing that,” He’s staring at the tool box now, and I shudder. “Don’t you know what its purpose is?”

“Yeah, I know,” his free hand scratches the back of his neck. “But it’s for protection, like you wanted, right?”

I sigh, happy to hear his explanation. His mouth lies in a flat line, and I can tell he isn’t lying. “Sorry, I was just shaken by it for a moment,”

“You didn’t think I was gonna…” he pauses, and I feel a wave of guilt come over me. The pressure on my thigh is near unbearable. All this time, Leon has been patient and kind to me. And I repay it by making him stay with me and now suspecting him of the unthinkable. Leon would never do that. Ever. Already, I can tell he cares about others, even if he’s a little lost with how to show it.

“I’m so sorry Leon, I was just being irrational. I mean, I trust you enough to invite you here, so I don’t know how I could have doubted it. It’s just the letter on the wall really shook me up.”

“You don’t have to apologize so much, hehe.” The right side of his lip is stretched now, and I wonder whether he notices anything like that about me. I wonder what mannerisms and tells I have on my face. “It’s alright. You’re just, scared, yeah?”

I nod, my head staying down. I can't bear to look at him, the guilt of suspecting him starting to overwhelm me. Thin arms wrap tightly around my torso, and strands of his hair tickle my nape. His nose nuzzles into where my shoulder meets the base of my neck. His fingers twitch to grab right onto my cardigan. “It’s alright. I'm scared too. But…”

His voice turns soft, inaudible. His chest rumbles against mine and he holds me closer. Finally, I muster up the courage to hold him back. He’s trembling. And under my palms, he’s so warm and soft, almost weak.

“But?”

“I feel safer when you’re here,” he sighs, and the air is knocked from my lungs. The pressure around my torso heightens, he’s holding me so closely and intimately, like we had done this before, our bodies molding to fit one another. But something isn’t quite right, my arms aren’t quite strong enough to hold him securely, and my eyes are shocked open. 

“Leon…” I feel my eyes start to water. None of this can possibly be happening. This has to be a dream. “I feel that too, around you, I-“

I start to choke on a sob. When was the last time I was held like this? Was cared for like this? How had I let someone close to me like this already? I was supposed to be alone. I was meant to be alone. All I ever could do was push others away and act selfishly. How did he break through me like this…and so easily,  _ effortlessly?  _ Yes, this is a dream. A complete, total dream. A world, twisted, but a world where I can let others be like this to me. It feels so real. He feels so real. The flutter of my heart feels so real. How had I done this? This was all too fast. His arms are like vines, snapping around me, tightening like dangerous, lethal vices. His head is a heavy weight on my shoulders, and I feel all the responsibility in the world join the weight of his head there. What if I disappointed him? I start to choke, not on a sob, but on the air. “Help,” I mutter, and push him away. My strength must have been too much, too sudden, because he fights to regain his balance after. “Sorry, I’m so sorry, I hadn’t meant to-“

“What’s wrong?” His eyes are frantic, scanning me. The concern in them is immense, and I want to scream. Pain floods through me, twisting every nerve and snapping every bone. I was such a burden. Now I had made him worry, and he already had so much to be worried about. I was just another thing to weigh him down. 

“There’s something wrong with me, I didn’t mean to make you feel bad,” I shake my head. This is all too much. I’m going to die here. I’m going to die and never wake up. How did he feel so real? Had I gone so far as to make this whole world up in a dream just to feel loved for a moment? Or even just liked? 

“Make me feel...bad? I just told you, you make me feel safer.”

“Well now you’re worried for me, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you worry! Really! I’m so sorry. Don’t worry about me, please, please, I just,” my voice is weak, and heavy with hurt. All I can do is dig myself into a deeper hole. 

“Don’t be sorry, I care about you, of course I’m going to be worried!”

“No...don’t be worried,”

Leon smiles, nervous, unsure what to do with my persistence. All of this is a mess, why couldn’t I just be more normal? “I don’t get it,”

“I don’t want you to worry over me. We already have much larger things to think about. I guess that’s just what I was thinking.”

“If that’s what you want…” he bites his lower lip. Despite my words, I can see that he couldn’t help but care about others. “I’ll try my best then, but like, I can’t really help that. And worrying over someone else isn’t such a bad thing, right?” He pauses. “You aren’t planning on dying here, right?” 

“What?” I look at him, studying his expression that’s still shining with concern. 

“Like, this is out of the blue, but you aren’t planning on like...ah man this is going to sound like a real downer,” he pushes a few breaths from his lungs, slowly, deliberately. “If someone was going to kill you, you wouldn’t just let them, right?” 

His silver eyes stare into mine. I pinch myself. He’s not very good at not worrying about others. “No, I want to get out of here with everyone. Well find a way, right? That’s what’s going to happen!”

My voice shakes. He notices. 

“If you ever need to talk to someone about anything, come to me still, alright?”

I laugh, trying to make things lighter before we spend our first night here. “I think I’ll go to Byakuya, he seems really emotionally available.”

The monitor in my room slowly flickers on, showing Monokuma in a chair on the screen once the static leaves. “Mm, ahem, this is a school announcement. It is now 10 p.m. As such, it is officially night time. Soon the doors to the dining hall will be locked, and entry at that point is strictly prohibited. Okay then...sweet dreams, everyone! Good night, sleep tight, don’t let the bed bugs bite…” His tone is mocking, and I shiver. Neither of us say a word about the announcement, trying to ignore the bear that will most likely haunt our dreams. 

We sit around a little longer, talking about anything to get our minds off of the killing game. Leon flushes as he talks about a hairdresser he knows from home. He talks of her admirably, a smitten look on his face, and he goes on and on about her, repeating a few details, then he suddenly sits up straighter. “Sayaka Maizono must like musicians too, right?”

“Huh? Umm…” Is he interested in her now? What a rapid change of affection. “I would assume. She’s close to Naegi, right? Maybe ask him.” 

Nodding, he murmurs something before beginning to talk about Sayaka, mentioning her ultimate talent, her billboard hits, and the outfits she would wear on stage. Maybe I had just imagined his enamored tone when talking about the hairdresser, from the way he is speaking about the Ultimate Pop Idol. Deciding to not question his feelings, I let him ramble on about the girl he had only met today. He has a strong admiration for her, I can tell. His interest isn’t solely based upon her breathtaking looks, but on her hard work and skill. A content smile rests on my face as I hear him mention for the millionth time the inspiration she had become for him. For someone his age to already be so big in the music scene, I could see why he was so crazy about her. Light hums escape me when he pauses, hoping he can tell I was listening. 

Eyes half lidded, I feel the urge to yawn at the back of my throat. Trying not to make any noise that could interrupt his current rant about the stench of teenage boys who haven’t discovered what deodorant is yet, I open my mouth, hand over the gaping shape it forms when all the way open. 

“Oh, sorry, you must be like, really tired. We should get to sleep. Sorry,”

“Huh? No, you can keep talking if you want! Don’t worry about it!” My enthusiasm is half forced, and he doesn’t buy it, shaking his head at me. 

“Nah, let’s go. We can keep going tomorrow once we’re fully rested. Sorry, I didn’t even realize, I usually stay up late to watch videos of musicians and try to replicate them. It’s funny, how much I want to nap during the day but want to stay up at night.” He gets up from his chair, moving over to the place where he had set his belongings. He starts to lay a blanket on the ground, and I shoot up from my chair, nearly knocking it over. 

“You don’t have to sleep on the floor, Leon! You can take the bed,”

Giving me a bewildered look, he clenched his pillow in one ringed hand before he starts to chuckle. “What kind of guy would I be if I let a girl sleep on the floor? This is your room anyway,”

I walk to him and take the pillow from his hand. “I’m the one who invited and made you stay here, this is the least I can do in return,”

He pauses, almost debating. I can tell he is tired, but his caring nature remains intact. He still wants to take the “manlier” option and let me take the bed. “No,” he replies simply. 

“Leon,” my voice is firm. I don’t want him to suffer on the hard flooring because of my request. “Get in the bed,”

Face turning a shade nearly as bright as his hair, he gulps, nods, and moves to the bed, but stands in front of it, not making any motion to get on it. “We...could like…” his last words come out mumbled, meshing together into a tumbled, whispered, mess. 

“What did you say?” I start to set up the pillow and blanket, then pull off my shoes and socks. I wonder if I have any pajamas. I do have a light under shirt beneath my sweater, and start to pull it off when Leon looks at me again, his face still red. 

“We could stay together in the bed,” The right side of his lips are pulled up higher than I had seen yet. I blush, looking down at my little setup. 

“I don’t want you to be uncomfortable,” I say. 

He shrugs. “I like, wouldn’t have suggested it if I was uncomfortable with it, you know?”

“I mean, okay then. I just hope I don’t kick you off, or like beat you up in my sleep.”

“That actually sounds kind of badass. Like a sleeping ninja.”

“I wouldn’t call my twitching in my sleep similar to a ninja,” I laugh, walking over to the other side of the bed, then setting his things down on top of my own. He stares at me expectantly, like he thinks I’ll immediately lay down in bed with my daytime attire on. “Can you look away real quick?”

The blush on his cheeks isn’t going to be gone any time soon. “Sure,” he mumbles, and turns on his heel so he’s facing the door. I turn away too, just to save myself some possible embarrassment from having him in front of me while I change. I pull down my skirt, thankful to have a pair of shorts underneath so I’m not left in only my undergarments. I pull down my curls from the bun I tie it in everyday, the bright green strands falling down to my bust. My sweater is off next, and I hear the rustling of fabric behind me. Something jangles, and I realize he’s getting ready too. It makes sense, but it catches me off guard since I already am turning around. He’s pulling off his necklace, then his jacket, his head turning a little to look down at his sleeve. Immediately I start to get in the bed, but I feel his eyes follow me as I climb underneath the covers. I trust him, but this night is going to be awkward. With me on the bed, it looks like there’s barely enough room for a whole nother person without us touching. So I lay on my side, facing the wall at the end of the room as I hear him unzip something. Face flushing, I turn my head down and close my eyes. Eventually, I feel Leon’s weight join behind me, and his arm brushing my side before quickly being pulled away. He shifts, the mattress pushing down further, and I feel his eyes on my face, probably seeing if I had already fallen asleep. Sighing, he lays back down. It isn’t an exasperated sigh, but a content one. I’m not sure what provoked it, but it was probably him just melting into the comfort and familiarity of sleep. The lights flicker off. After a long while of silence, with Leon every so often shifting closer, I hear him hum, then say a few words. “Goodnight, Etsuko,” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ty for reading! sorry if this chapter wasn't as exciting, i promise there will be more interaction with other characters in the next one! ty to everyone who has checked the story out so far, it means a lot! i hope this chapter was okay, i've read it over a bunch of times and tried to make it as good as i can,,,,,hopefully etsuko's struggle is clear for what i'm going for. again, thank you for reading! lots of love <3


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hiya! this chapter is kind of extra long! hope you enjoy!!

When my eyes flicker open, I expect to see the bright blue walls of my bedroom, a pillow clutched tightly in my hands. Instead, it’s dark and unfamiliar, despite the soft smell of my regular perfume. As my eyes adjust to the darkness, the black of the walls shifts to a deep, taunting red, which nearly shocks me up from the bed. My hands are clenched onto my undershirt, which is uncomfortably stiff on me. A weight rests at my waist, and I look down to make out the shape of an arm flung on top of it. I was supposed to wake up at home today. The whole Hope’s Peak Killing Game was supposed to be an elaborate nightmare, and after sleeping in this bed, I would be back in my own plush one. I would wake as the sun rises, birds chirping cheerfully from outside my window. I would jump up in relief, clutching onto one of my many stuffed plushies. I curse underneath my breath, my voice hoarse. One hand reaches up to touch my cheek, and it is slightly wet, and I follow the trail down the bridge of my nose, realizing it was left from tears I must have shed while asleep. What atrocity had occurred when my eyes had been shut a moment ago? It couldn’t have been worse than this, I know. I wish I could make out the time the clock on the wall displays, but it is too far and concealed in shadow to make out. A twitch of movement makes my squinted eyes shoot down to look at Leon’s arm, which had suddenly tensed up and elbowed me in the side. Sighing, I squeeze my eyes shut again, taking a few deep breaths. I feel myself falling back into sleep when Leon’s elbow hits my side again. I groan in pain, sending a glare at his hand. Next, I feel his leg fall across mine, his hand and leg positioned like a starfish. He is in a drastically different sleeping position than he was while napping, this time he is trying to take all the space around him for his own. 

“Leon,” I grumble when his elbow juts into me the third time, hoping he isn’t trying to play some early morning prank on me or something. There is no response, so I assume he must be doing something in his dream that is making him twitch violently. I hope it isn’t a bad dream. 

“Huhhhhhh,” I hear him moan out in the darkness, but I can’t make out if he is trying to say any words. “Hehhhhhhhhh” I hear him expel out next, his tone still low and groggy. 

“Leon,” I say, louder this time. I am thankful he isn’t snoring though. I remember clambering into my parent’s bed when I was young, and then not being able to sleep because of my father’s snoring that was louder than a freight train. 

He lets out a low groaning noise, as if he is in pain, and his arm twitches again. I turn to face him, gently placing one hand on his forehead, which is coated with a thin layer of sweat. I can’t really see his expression, but it doesn’t seem like his dream is a good one. I move my hand to his shoulder, shaking it in hopes he’ll wake up. He doesn’t stir, so I shake him harder, which makes him whimper more.

“Leon!” I speak louder, the restrained hush of my voice replaced with concern. “Wake up, you’re having a nightmare!”

His leg kicks mine, similar to what he did at the dining hall when I had sat across from him. I kick him back, but I get no response. His other leg, the one hanging off the bed, twitches next, and I move so I’m sitting over him, one of my feet planted on the ground since his limbs are hanging off the edge. I take both of his shoulders, and shake him rapidly. One of his hands comes up to rest on top of my own. 

“Hello?” his voice is breathy, and confused. 

A relieved sigh leaves me. Finally, I have gotten him awake.“Sorry, you looked like you were having a nightmare, and you were making scared noises, and your leg kicked me, and you also elbowed me, so I woke you up.” I ramble. 

“Nightmare, right.” He chuckles, squeezing my hand that’s still between his and his shoulder. “Thanks, and sorry for hitting you,”

“Well, I’m glad you’re awake now, it seemed really scary, you were sweating too,”

“Sweating…” he repeats, and I can make out his other arm raising to wipe at his forehead. I’m still sitting on him, and I realize my position and flop back down next to him, turning away so we can both fall back asleep. 

“You’re alright now, right?” I ask, inching away from him so he can have more room. 

His breaths are fast and heavy, and I can only imagine it heaving up and down as he pulls the blanket away from where it is on top of me. “Yeah, I’m fine, thanks,”

I close my eyes, a chill running through me as he hogs both the blanket that was on my bed and his own. 

“Do ya know what time it is?” he asks after a while of nothing between us but his breathing. 

I shake my head, then realize he can’t see my motion in the darkness. “No, sorry. Too dark.”

“Alright,” he laughs, and then it returns to silence.

I scrunch up in a fetal position, hoping to find some kind of warmth. Although apparently it’s easier to fall asleep when you’re cold, it’s uncomfortable just laying down without a blanket. I shake it off, instead trying to count to a hundred in my head to fall asleep faster. When I reach the seventies for what might be the third time, the weight on the bed shifts, and I feel the blankets being thrown on top of me. I turn my head and reach my arm out where Leon was but only feel the mattress. “Huh?”

“Going to the bathroom,” he answers, and then I hear the sound of a door closing. I curl around into the blankets, surprised when the scent of sandalwood envelops me softly. 

When I open my eyes again, the lights of the room stings them. When they adjust to the brightness, I see I’m still in the dorm, not at home like I had let myself wish for the second time. I really hate this room, not just because of how oddly specific it is to me, but also because of how ugly it is. I stay in my spot for a while, completely unmotivated to get up or go anywhere. 

_ *Ding dong, bing bong* _

Monokuma’s voice erupts from the speaker in the room. “Good morning, everyone! It is now 7 a.m. and night time is officially over! Time to rise and shine! Get ready to greet another beee-yutiful day!” I’m guessing that the lights automatically turn on when the morning announcement goes off. They had automatically gone off when Leon and I were in bed, so maybe that was what triggered them to flicker dark. Yet when Leon had shuffled to the bathroom during the night, he had to make his way through the dark, so ultimately it wasn’t clear to me what made the lights turn on or off. All I know is that they are on now and that it is morning, so I should probably be getting up. But before I can, I feel something grab my arm. 

“I wanna stay sleeping...a few more minutes please…” Leon grumbles, his grip around my arm tight. I try a couple times to wrench it from his grasp, but it’s no use.   
“Leon, let go of me, please,” I say, and his grip softens then leaves. I sigh, but don’t move to get up. Fatigue has now set in, so I cozy up to lay here for a while. For a while, the both of us are there peacefully, until Leon jumps up. Slowly, I look over to see what he’s doing, but then yank my head back once I get a look at him, my face exploding red. 

“Hey, what’s wrong, you don’t like what you see?” he laughs, but his tone betrays his nervousness. It’s not that...it’s the fact that he is only wearing his boxers. I can’t manage out a single word, which seems to make him worry because he places a hesitant hand on my shoulder. “Hey, did I do something wrong? I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable, I just didn’t know what-”

“Don’t apologize or whatever, you didn’t do anything bad, I just...you...your pajamas are lacking, I didn’t expect it…” I turn so I’m resting on my back, looking up at his wide eyes as they trail down and he finally realizes he’s just in his boxers. I’m scared because it seems like he wasn’t aware before, his face is painted with surprise. 

“Agh!: He yelps, backing away from the bed. “D-don’t look!” He bustles around, grabbing his things, and I stare at the ceiling. The bathroom door slams, and I can hear him jangle with the lock. As if I was going to try to enter it…. 

I take the chance to shove the covers off of me, and rush to get my own clothes on. I pull on the baggy beige sweater I had owned for years now, making sure the collar of my undershirt isn't stuck underneath it. Messily, I tie my red tie, tucking it underneath the sweater. Then I pull my skirt on, the navy colored plaid of it adding a little more color to the whole outfit. My sweater droops over the skirt, which is a look I enjoy, concealing the shape of my torso beneath it. I bend over, collecting my unruly green curls into a bun, since there isn’t much else I know how to do with them. A few loose strands fall down, which I am fine with, I never have enough effort to try to collect and add them to the messy heap on top. Trying to smooth my bangs with my fingers, I bite my lip in concentration. They don’t fully reach my eyes, and my dark blocky eyebrows are still half visible. I grab my glasses from the desk, pushing them up my hooked nose. They are two silver rectangles, and look kind of big for my round, chubby face, which is rare for me to find in a pair of glasses. I can’t go to the bathroom yet to make sure I look okay, so instead I wait nervously, twirling a loose curl around one finger. I wish I knew how to do more with my hair, but both of my parents had had straight hair and never wanted to mess with my tangles. And my friends had only ever wanted to straighten my hair, and gushed about everyone else’s curls but my own. I look down at my pasty hand, glancing at each of my midnight black nails that each jut out from a stubby finger, but some of them unshaped or much shorter than the others. My appearance isn’t perfect in any sort of way, and I remember all of the other girls here, their perfect smiles, perfect hair, perfect faces…

Leon slams open the door, and I look over to see his nervous smile. Now he’s changed back into yesterday’s outfit, the shirt slightly wrinkled. His hair that had been loose earlier is now pulled away from his heart-shaped face. “Sorry about that...I thought I was wearing shorts like I usually do to bed.”

“It’s fine,” I assure him, looking him up and down. 

“You’re pretty this morning,” he says sweetly, playing with the lock on his necklace. 

“Ugh, says you, Leon. The prettiest person here,” I smile, speed walking past him to check myself in the mirror. Gazing back at me in the mirror isn’t someone I would use pretty to describe. My eyebags are apparent, tinting the indents below my uneven eyes a strange shade of purple. I don’t look as bad as I usually think I do, which is a relief. There are pink patches on my skin, something I had gotten from my mother, whose face was constantly reddened. My nose is a weird shade of almost orange, which I had always been insecure about, but ultimately realized I couldn’t do anything to change it. My makeup coverup attempts had all failed, so I had conceded to just leaving it be. He thought I was pretty? My cheeks redden more as I hear his words echo in my mind, and my lips curl in an uneven smile. I watch him step behind me in the mirror, and his silver eyes met my dark brown ones. 

“Nah, you’re prettier for sure. I have some tough competition.” he nudges me with an elbow, and I laugh heartily, the sound more of someone gasping for air rather than laughter. People had mocked me for the sound before, so I had tried to quiet it down whenever it bubbles in the back of my throat. But Leon just laughs along with me as we exit the bathroom. “Let’s go get breakfast!” Leon enthuses, checking around the room one more time to make sure he had grabbed all of his jewelry. We walk out of my room, Leon starting to tell me a joke when our names are shouted from the other end of the hallway. 

“LEON! ETSUKO! WHAT DO YOU TWO THINK YOU’RE DOING!” Kiyotaka marches towards us, his face angry. “DID YOU TWO STAY THE NIGHT TOGETHER? A BOY AND A GIRL IN FACT! THAT IS UNWHOLESOME!”

His shouting gets the attention of Sayaka and Makoto who are also in the hallway, and they giggle at us. Leon is averting his eyes from everyone when I look up at him, his face turning as red as his flashy hair. 

“No, he just came to check on me this morning,” I lie, hoping Kiyotaka believes my excuse.

His stern expression falters on his face, and he looks embarrassed for assuming that. “O-oh, really? Because I’ve been patrolling this hall since this morning and I did NOT see Leon enter your room!”

“Well…” Leon starts, but trails off. What an imagination he has in this situation. The last thing I expected this morning was to be scolded by Kiyotaka. Maybe I should have expected it, he is uptight. 

I decide to recover for Leon’s failed sentence. “He had visited before the morning announcement, it was pretty early. I mean, he had napped during the day so he told me it would be harder going back to sleep after waking up. And he was too antsy to stay by himself in his dorm, ‘cause he’s such a scaredy cat.”

“Am not!” Leon shoves me playfully, but we’re both laughing. 

Kiyotaka seems to accept the excuse, and he bows in front of us. “My sincerest apologies for assuming! But you must understand, it is only natural for me to think that after seeing you two-”

“Don’t worry about it Kiyotaka, we understand,” I chuckle, and he stands up straight. 

“Oh, I must have not told you! You can call me Taka instead of my full name, it’s cute that way! I forgot during our introductions!”

“Oh, okay, Taka.” I nod. It’s a little sad for me to shorten it though, because I really like the sound of his full name, and I would probably get his name confused with Toko’s at one point due to their similarity. “Are you heading to breakfast? You can join us if you’d like!”

Leon nods, “We can all eat as a group and chillax!”

“Ch-chillax?” Kiyotaka looks taken aback by the word. 

“Chill and relax,” Leon adds, and Kiyotaka gives him a single firm shake of the head. 

“I am busy this morning with my hall monitor duties, so I must decline. I must make sure everyone is obeying the rules! Such as, no running in the halls!”

“Okay, well, once you’re done with that you can still join us if you want,” Leon shrugs. “See ya later dude!” 

We walk past him, then past Sayaka and Makoto, heading to the dining hall.  Inside, Hina and Sakura are already walking over to the kitchen area together. 

“Let’s see if we can get a bite of anything that they cook,” Leon suggests mischievously, one thin brow perked as he looks down at me.

“I mean, we could just help them out,” I say, following him into the kitchen. 

“Good morning you two!” Hina cheers when we enter, and Sakura bows her head at us in greeting. Hina is practically glowing, a wide smile on her face as Sakura’s hand rests on her waist. Sakura has her hair tied back now, and it flows down behind her as she looks around at the kitchen. 

“Goodmorning, both of you look great!” I reply, approaching them. “Do you mind if we join in making breakfast?”

“Hina wants to make donuts, but I told her we don’t have the equipment.” Sakura chuckles, bending down behind the metal island in the center of the kitchen to open some of the cabinets there. 

“Hmmm…” Leon peers around at the different things in the kitchen, and picks up a stray, conveniently placed bowl with a plastic scoop in it. “How about pancakes?”

“Great idea!” Hina turns and starts grabbing things out of the fridge, and Sakura throws on an apron. We get out all of the materials, and Leon follows Hina’s instructions when pouring the dry ingredients together. I listen to Sakura as she talks about her many martial art matches, busying myself with getting the stove ready. 

“And then, this young kid wanted to fight me, he thought I was some kind of superhero and that he could take me on, you should have seen it. His father practically had to drag him away from me.”

“No way! I mean you do look like a hero, Sakura. You must work really hard to get all that muscle. Did you have a hero to look up to yourself when you were young?” I ask, invested in her journey to become an Ultimate. 

She nods, a prideful look on her face. “Yes, at first it was the generations of the Ogami family before me, and since I was the only daughter born into my clan in my generation, I wanted to prove my strength to the men. I wanted to prove my worth. In the end, my goal was to become the Strongest Human Alive.”

“That’s impressive, wow, and you met that goal, right? Since now you’re the Ultimate Martial Artist?”

“You should tell her about Kenshiro,” Hina adds, and Sakura looks away from me bashfully.

Her tone turns from humorous to soft, tender. “He was someone I admired more than anyone else, my greatest rival. He taught me...many lessons.”

“Wow,” me and Leon both gasp.

“It’s so cool you have such a close relationship with a rival! I don’t think I could handle something like that,”

“Yeah,” Hina blushes, her gaze fixed on Sakura. “Sakura is really cool, isn’t she?”

“You bet!” Leon laughs, and everyone smiles. The other two go back to measuring ingredients, and Sakura looks down at me kindly, 

“So, how did you become the Ultimate Seamstress?”

“Oh, well, I really don’t know. I didn’t have much money, so I wasn’t able to buy many materials or enter competitions with the things I made. And I suck at trying to promote my stuff, so only a couple works of mine ever got released to the public. And some of the things I made ended up just disappearing, so that also made things difficult. I always assumed someone stole it because they didn’t have clothing of their own, but that’s just speculation. Mainly I practiced by altering or fixing the neighborhood kids clothing. Since we all were kind of on the lower end of money, we all needed to help each other out, and their clothes needed repairing more often than not. I think that helped me a lot with developing my skill. Still, I don’t know how I was recognized for my talent,” I ramble, hoping Sakura was able to understand what I was trying to say.

“Do you believe the pieces that were sent out into the world were masterpieces? Maybe that could be why you were recognized.” Sakura suggests, and I shrug.

“Masterpieces...I don’t think so, but maybe. That’s still a possibility!”

I feel something smudge against my cheek, and whip my head around to see Leon’s flour coated finger sticking in the air. I touch where he had wiped it, feeling the soft texture of the white fluff. 

“Got ya!” Leon flicks all his fingers out, the flour flying through the air in my direction. Seeing my angered expression, Leon darts away from me. 

Turning to Hina, I see that she is holding the flour bag out to me. She winks, and I take some in my hand, chasing after Leon before hurling at him. “Leon!” I shout, and he turns his head to look at me just in time to be met with a face full of flour.

He wipes it onto his sleeve, successfully smearing it even worse into his face, which makes me giggle as he steps closer to put some flour on my nose. 

“You two better clean that up,” Sakura shakes her head, her amusement showing in her voice as she stirs the batter. Hina is jumping at her side, excited to get the chance to pour batter onto the griddle. 

I shake my head. “Don’t worry about it, I got it,” I grab a towel hanging from a rack, the design on it having the logo of the academy. It makes me frown, reminded of the situation we are in. I’m taken out of the carefree environment the others are enjoying. “Come over here, Leon.” I say, my voice deflated off all the joy in it, but thankfully Leon doesn't notice. 

He stands a few centimeters in front of me, making me lean back to wipe the wet cloth on his face, trying to get all the flour I had shot at it. “I’m not a baby,” he laughs as I wipe above his mouth, making the path of the towel unsteady. 

“I know, but I was the one who got it on you.” I sigh, wiping at the blotch of it gathered at his forehead. There’s a few white flecks peppering across his hair, and I run the hand not holding a towel through it, and he lets out a content sigh, free of the flour. Folding the towel over, I find a spot that doesn’t have flour on it to wipe my own face. 

“I’ll do that for you then,” Leon makes a movement to grab the towel from me, but I duck away from his grabbing hand. 

“You can sweep the flour that fell on the floor, I don’t wanna do that,”

“Thanks for making me stuck with that,” he scoffs and rolls his eyes jokingly. Dramatic, he huffs as he walks over to the dustpan on the kitchen door, his hips swaying exaggeratedly side to side. 

Busying himself with that, I finish getting the last of the dust off, then throw the soiled towel on an empty space on the counter, the sound of the batter searing against the griddle making me almost giddy. Already, it smells delicious. Grabbing a new towel, I look over at where Hina and Leon had been mixing dry ingredients, seeing the mess left behind. I wipe that up too, finishing a little after Leon does. Now he’s pestering Hina to give him a try at pouring and using the spatula. I move to Leon’s side, nudging him out of my way. “Hina, can I use the spatula? I used to help out with some of the moms in my community, so I have experience!”

“No prob! Here you go!” Hina grins and gives me the wooden spatula. It fits familiarly in my hand, and I take the spot in between Leon and Hina in front of the griddle. One of the circles of batter barely has any air bubbles in it, and I quickly slide the spatula under and flip it, the movement coming naturally back to me. It lands with a satisfying searing sound, and I look to see the pancake has a pleasant golden brown color. 

“No fair!” Leon crosses his arms, and I look up to his now clean face. 

“Do you know how to use a spatula?” I ask, receiving a shake of the head in a no. “Okay, I can show you then, alright?”

“Sick!” Leon eagerly pumps his fist in the air, his grumbly mood over fast. Attentively, he leans forward. 

“Okay, see how the pancake has almost no bubbles left? That’s how you know it’s time to flip.” I pause, and Leon nods. “Okay, now look closely at my movements, and you can’t really be slow with it,” 

I flip the next one over, it lands a little messily due to the intense unwavering stare Leon is giving me, which makes me shift my weight from one foot to the other. 

“You saw how I flipped it?”

“Yup! A flick of the wrist!”

I sigh. “It’s not as easy as it looks. But, now we can take the first one I flipped to the stack of finished ones. I’ll give you this as a practice since flipping it once it’s done has less risk of you messing it up.” He sticks his tongue out at me, his piercing catching the light.

Handing him the spatula, his skin brushes mine as he grips it firmly. “Oh, fix your grip, like this,” I hold out my hand as an example of how to grip it, and he adjusts so it is similar. “Do you mind if I put my hand over yours to guide you?”

“I don’t mind at all!”

I smile at him, and he’s focused on looking at the pancakes beneath him. I put my hand on his, following how he grips it.

“Ready to flip it?” 

“Ready as hell!”

I jut his hand forward, smoothly picking up the pancake. We lift it up, then he drops it on the plate of done ones. Letting my hand drop back down to my side, we beam at each other. 

“You did perfect! High five!” I hold my hand up, and our palms slap together in an instant. 

He jumps at my praise. “I’m ready to do the next one for sure!” 

“You’ll still let me guide you, right? That one is a little harder.” 

Hina is pouring the next circle of batter, and a bunch of bubbles rise to the top. 

“Yup! I’m fine since you’re holding my hand that way!”

I flush, looking away from his smile. “Tell me when you think the next one is done.”

Immediately, his silver eyes return to stare at the bubbling pancake. I glance over to my right, seeing that Hina is talking to Sakura as the taller one is cutting up some apples and strawberries. Both of them laugh, and I turn my attention back to Leon, whose brow is fixed on the simmering circle of creamy batter. 

“It looks ready to be flipped now,” Leon remarks, holding the spatula up in the air. I put my hand over his again, and we prepare to flip it. This time, Leon forces our hands forward to slide it underneath the pancake, and then he lifts it up, his hand shaking beneath mine. “Uh,” he murmurs something under his breath, and I help him turn the pancake over smoothly so it lands in the same spot as before. The top of the pancake is a soft golden yellow, cooked just enough. “Phew,”

“You did a good job,” I reassure, my words making a smile break out across his face. “Now flip the next one onto the plate,”

He stares down at the golden brown pancake I had flipped a while ago. The top of it is slanted to the side, but it still looks good. 

“Do you need me to help again?” 

“Hehe, no, I like, got this in the bag!” Sliding the spatula under the tilted pancake rapidly, he picks it up, pauses, then flips it right back where it was cooking before, revealing the other side that is a darker shade of brown, but not exactly burnt. “Ah man! What do I do now?” He yelps, eyes widening with panic.

I place a hand on his shoulder, hoping for him to calm down a bit. Already he’s rather worked up, his free hand scratching at his hair. “Just use the spatula again and put it on the plate,”

He moves back in front of it, taking a deep breath and posing his hands like he is about to karate chop something. Messily, he tries sliding the spatula under the cooked one, but it slides right off, his efforts only pushing it further away from him. Trying again, his attempt is just as unsuccessful. He keeps going, but only manages to push it towards the steaming pancake next to it. 

“Do you think, you could like, handle this?”

“Mhm, of course,” He hands the spatula back to me, and it takes me two tries to get the pancake away and onto the plate. 

Next to me, he grumbles. “That was a disaster, so not cool!”

“Don’t worry about it,” I take the other pancake off, and Hina shuffles over to pour two new ones. Leon is disappointed, his head hanging low and eyes closed. “You’re not going to get it on your first try, it’s natural that you made a small mistake.”

“Really?” He grins, the anger twitching his brow slowly easing into enthusiasm. 

“Really,”

Pushing past me, Leon readies himself to flip the next pancake. “Just you wait and see, I’m going to be the best pancake flipper in the entire world!” He exclaims, one hand out to receive the spatula. I place it in his palm, then lean against the counter to watch him. 

With a smile on my face, I watch him as he flips over the pancakes, sometimes having to remind him to flip one over. Overall, he improves, catching on quickly to the right movements and speed of turning over the spatula. Eventually, Hina scrapes the last of the batter from the bowl and we finish the last few smaller pancakes. 

“Yay!” Hina and Leon high five, then Leon moves over to Sakura for a fist bump. The friendly gesture is reciprocated, and finally Leon comes over to me, bumping my shoulder. “Alright, let’s bring this all to the dining room to share!” Hina grabs one large stack of pancakes, Leon taking the other, and Sakura grabbing the fruit and some extra plates and utensils. They all leave, and I take a moment to look at the counter. Measuring tools are strewn on the island, still holding the remains of powdery ingredients. The batter bowl is coated with the loose concoction, and some of it has escaped and is pooling in small ringlets on the counter. 

Humming, I rinse out the batter bowl, then the measuring equipment, a towel in my hand to wipe away any stubborn excess. As I work and my fingers prune under the stream of water, I feel something slump over me, two arms landing on top of my shoulder and hanging out in front of me. Immediately, I recognize the ringed fingers and white jacket, which still has some flour on it, a creamy color compared to the stark white of the fabric. I smell the deep scent of sandalwood, and I breath in the almost sweet tones of it. 

“Seriously, you’re in here cleaning? We’re all waiting for you,” his voice is soft and close to a chuckle in my ear.

I rub the towel across the inside of the steel measuring cup they used for flour, hunching over due to Leon pushing me to see what I was doing over my shoulder. “I just wanted to clean up a little, but yeah I’ll join you.”

“Good,” Leon yawns, stepping away from me. I finish the cup I’m on and place it on the counter, then walk with Leon out of the kitchen. In the dining hall, people are crowding around the pancakes, and I can smell them from here. I notice a tall container in Leon’s hands he must have grabbed from the fridge while we were inside a second ago. I must have not heard him sneak it from over the sound of the running faucet. 

“We’re back!” Leon announces, but only Hina and Sakura look from their plates to greet us with smiles. Mondo and Junko are yelling at each other over one of the larger pancakes, and Chihiro is trying to find a spot around the round table they’re set on to grab one from. “I didn't know they’d be such a big hit,” Leon laughs, reaching between Hifumi and Celeste for some pancakes. Waiting for him, I watch as Junko ultimately wins the massive pancake from Mondo, who looks steaming with rage from his loss until the both of them start to laugh. Taka enters the room, Toko following behind him nervously. 

“What is all this noise about?” Taka shouts, but only Mondo looks over to answer him 

“We’re just getting breakfast,” he shrugs, then easily grabs a few pancakes along with a plate for himself. 

Taka marches over, looking at the plate in Mondo's large hands. “I see, did Monokuma make this for us?”

“No, those four did,” Mondo gestures behind him vaguely, causing Taka to squint and look at everyone Mondo could have been talking about. 

“Who exactly?” Taka’s voice lowers to a regular level, and I can't catch the rest of what they say. So I focus instead on Leon who now is carrying over a plate with more than a handful of pancakes. In his other hand there is an extra plate along with forks and knives. So he doesn’t drop one, I rush over and take the pancakes. 

“I got some for both of us!” He grins. The people around the table of pancakes slowly disperse, everyone looking satisfied with their share. 

“Thanks Leon! Where should we sit?” 

“Hmm,” he looks around at the tables, seeing Hagakure chowing down at one, with Chihiro walking over to the boy. I’m surprised to see that Hiro’s hair is now pulled back, probably to avoid it from getting in his food. It looks nice like that, better than it being stuck out in every direction. “How about with those two?”

“Yeah, let’s go,” we walk over to the table, and I take the seat next to Chihiro, Leon taking the one next to me. I set the plate of pancakes down in front of him, and he puts the extra plate in front of me. I realize that the container Leon had before has disappeared. “You two don’t mind if we sit here, right?” 

“Not at all!” Hiro’s mouth is full as he talks, making his words muffled and barely audible. 

“Thanks, dude,” Leon laughs, then gives me a couple pancakes. “How many do you want?”

“I’ll take what you don’t,”

“You sure?” Leon raises a brow at me, and I look down, content with the two pancakes piled onto my plate. 

“Yup! This is good!” Beginning to cut them up, I wonder if I could have maple syrup to go with it. I take a few bites, and am amazed with the taste. Warm and fluffy, I start to shove more in my mouth, my hunger suddenly surfacing. Quickly, I finish mine.

Leon glances at me quizzically, swallowing his food before he talks. “You sure you don’t want more?”

“Yeah, I’m going to get some fruit.” I push my chair back, and see Chihiro push her’s too. “Oh? You wanna come with?”

“If you don’t mind,” she says, and I smile.

“Of course not, let’s go!”

Together, we approach the table, and I'm delighted to see that there’s still a large portion of fruit left. 

“How did your night go, Chihiro? You sleep okay?”

“Yeah,” she nods. “It was hard to get to bed at first, but once I did it was peaceful. Waking up this morning wasn’t so pleasant. But this breakfast made it all worth it! It’s so good, you helped make it, right?”

“I guess,” I shrug, taking one of the smaller plates and scooping some fruit on it. Sakura’s slices are clean and straight, each of them perfectly made into smaller portions. “I’m glad to hear you slept okay, Leo-“ I stop myself and bite my lip, causing Chihiro to look up at me, her face showing her confusion at my sudden halt. “Leon was telling me how he had a nightmare last night, so that’s too bad. But he’s doing better now, which I’m happy for. Earlier we made such a mess in the kitchen. He started it though, by getting flour on my face. He smudged it right here,” I point to my cheek, checking to make sure Chihiro was interested enough in the story for me to continue. “But I got him back by throwing it in his face. I feel kind of bad though, since we made a mess while Sakura and Hina were busy preparing the batter, but we made sure we cleaned up.”

“It’s a little hard to imagine Leon cleaning,” Chihiro laughs. “He seems like the kind of guy Hiro is, where they just let things get messy,”

“Yeah, I was shocked too, but Leon actually really helped out in the kitchen. It’s funny because initially he just wanted to steal some of whatever Hina and Sakura were making.” 

I turn to walk back to the table, but Chihiro tugs on my sweater. “Can we grab something to drink?”

“Definitely, I totally could go for some water right now,”

We walk into the kitchen, and we get four glasses, filling them with water. 

I laugh, “How should we get this back to the table?”

“I don’t know, I’m not very strong so…” Looking down at the ground, a frown creases her soft features.

“Don’t worry about it, I saw you yesterday, you were killing it! I think we could both carry a plate and two glasses, like this.” I tuck one of the glasses between my torso and arm, then grab the glass with my hand, my plate in my other one. “Like this?”

“Sure,” Chihiro copies my position, smiling when she is carrying it all successfully. 

“Nice, let’s go,”

Side by side, we walk to the table, careful to not drop anything. I look at our table, seeing that two other people have joined it. The odd pair is made of the strict rule follower and the gang leader with anger issues. Taka is next to Hiro, turned away from Mondo, who looks to be competing with Leon for who can shove more pancakes in their mouth at one time. 

Chihiro talks about a game she played last week, enthusing about when she picked apart the game’s code. She really is talented, and apparently she has a legion of fans, which is equally impressive. I never suspected someone so meek seeming to be the leader of an entire fandom. We reach the table, and Leon plops a strawberry slice inside the disgusting amount of pancakes in his mouth. 

“Gross, dude,” I laugh, and look to Taka who has stopped scolding Hiro for eating with his mouth open to look at me. “Hey Taka! Nice to see you again! You finished your morning duties?” 

“Indeed, and now I’m excited to eat this breakfast that those four made!”

Realizing he probably still hasn’t figured out who made the pancakes, I smile. He turns his head to greet Leon, but immediately stops and turns to talk to Chihiro after seeing Leon’s stuffed yet open mouth. 

“Be careful swallowing that, I’d rather you not choke than win this competition.” I say to Leon, then see the atrocity of Mondo’s stuffed face. “That goes for you too, Mondo,”

Mondo tries to say something, but it’s unintelligible because of all the food he has shoved inside his mouth. 

“Just don’t choke please,” I sigh, tuning into Chihiro, Hiro, and Taka’s conversation. 

“And that’s when I said, this burger is all mine! And dived forward and stole it right out of his hand! Wow, we had so many good times…” Hiro grins, reminiscing in his memories. 

“Stealing is against the law!” Taka frowns, shaking his head haughtily at the guy who is now reaching for Chihiro’s glass of water since he’s already drained his own. 

Chihiro laughs airily, “It was Hiro’s to begin with though, so it technically shouldn’t count,” 

Hiro attempts to take the glass while Chihiro is speaking, but I pull it away first, the water sloshing inside. 

“Huh? What are you doing with my drink?” Chihiro exclaims, and I let go of it so she knows I wasn’t trying to snag it. “Taking it with Taka right here wasn’t the best idea, Etsuko!”

“No, I wasn’t trying to steal it, Hiro was!” I defend, waving my hands in the air. 

Hiro bursts out laughing, “Nah, I had predicted that Etsuko was going to try to take your water so I was trying to take it first!”

“Mine is still full!” I point to where my glass is, but it’s not there on the table. 

Chihiro giggles as my head swivels side to side, panicking. Taka sees the chance to resume his lecture about stealing. “See Etsuko, thieves always get what’s coming to them, and that’s why…” He drones on, but I tune it out, seeing the culprit who is holding my glass to his lips. 

“Leon! That’s mine!” Once he finishes gulping down every last drop, he sets it down, making an exaggerated ‘ahh’ sound. 

“You said you didn’t want me to choke, I needed some water to take it all down!” Leon assures, smirking at me.

I hold his own full glass to his face. “I even got you your own, you’re kidding me!”

“Huh, didn’t see that,” he leans his chair back, arms lifting upward to form two V’s behind his head as he lays back haphazardly. 

“You totally did, I’m taking your glass then,” I take his, and drink some for good measure. “I told you I didn’t steal it, I already had my own until just now when Leon drank it!”

“Well now you’ve just stolen Leon’s, so it’s best if you apologize!” Taka says, proud that he still was able to prove someone at the table a thief. Until Mondo butts in, spearing a fork into the nest slices of pancake on Taka’s plate.

“He stole hers first, I’m the only real thief to be worried about here, teacher’s pet,”

“That roast was awful,” Leon remarks, and Mondo shoots him a glare before smirking at Taka’s enraged expression. 

“Not only are you a rotten thief, you’re a messy one! Has no one taught you table manners!” Taka points to the crumbs on Mondo’s cheek, then flicks one off it. “There, I have assisted you enough that you should be able to clean the rest off!”

“Yeah whatever, I know how to do that myself,” Mondo rolls his eyes, still pestered by Taka enough to take some more off his plate, and Taka bites back another word, instead conceding to push his plate away toward Hiro, who looks just as eager to get some from Taka too. 

I glance back and see a few pancakes left. “Hiro, if you want more, you don’t have to steal any, there’s some left,”

Hiro’s glowing eyes shift to me, his head turning so fast that one of his long braids whips Taka in the face. “Ah really, I didn’t even notice!” Looking back at the pancakes, he makes no move to get up to retrieve more. 

“Do-do you want someone to go up with you?” I am familiar with this kind of situation, my friends never wanted to get up during lunch by themselves, so I usually came along to accompany them on their short walk to the trash or food line. Sometimes they would ignore my presence, pleased enough with just me walking by their side, but I tried to never let it bother me that much. My constant walks away from the table left me with barely any time to eat, which was okay, I would rather not become sick with public school “cooking.” Last year of school though, I never left the table, really. Instead, I would stay, alone, while everyone else left without me, not sparing a glance. If that’s what would make them happy, it made me happy, so I would leave instead of recess to the bathroom, until I mustered up enough courage to go on the blacktop by my lonesome. Whatever made them happy. 

“Hey, earth to Etsuko, you good? I said we can go!” Hiro reaches past Chihiro to wave his pale palm in my face. 

“Yeah sorry, I spaced out for a moment, let’s go,”

We get up, Hiro’s steps longer than my own, and I have to skip forward every so often to catch up to him. Reaching the table, I see Byakuya standing there, inspecting the pancakes with caution. 

“Uh, hey Togami?” I say, confused as to why he was staring so closely at them.

His blue eyes flicker up to me. “Hello.”

“What are you doing? If you don’t mind me asking,”

Leaning back so he is standing straight, one hand moves to his waist. As if it’s obvious, he says, “I was looking at your plebeian pancakes. Of course, I’ve had foods similar before, although they were much better and considered delicacies. I was debating whether to waste my taste buds on the things,”

“Well, why do you assume they aren’t good? You aren’t going to be finding any higher dining here, sorry to burst your bubble.”

Hiro takes the chance to grab some of the pancakes, along with the container Leon had before. As he pours its contents on top of the pancakes, I realize it’s the maple syrup I had wished for earlier. 

“It couldn’t hurt...unless of course someone was planning to kill somebody this morning. One could be laced with poison.”

“I highly doubt that possibility.” I rebute, and he looks down at me doubtfully, awaiting my reasoning. “I didn’t see any poison around, plus four of us were there making them, so if one of us tried the others would have realized.”

“Unless you were all working together,”

“If that was the case, then surely someone would have eaten the poison and dropped dead, right?”

He nods, seemingly satisfied with my words, which I am glad about. I understand being skeptical, but I feel like he took it too far accusing all four of us. “I’m still not sure they’ll be worth my time, if they are disappointing, don’t be surprised if I spit it back onto you,”

“Uh,” I am slightly repulsed by his threat, but if I know ahead of time, I should be able to dodge if he decides to actually do so. Spitting on someone else seemed a little low for the esteemed guy, so I still was finding it humourous imagining the scene. “Good thing you won’t have to go that far though.” 

Taking a plate, he slides a pancake on top, then cuts it perfectly with a knife, the utensil gliding smoothly through the soft dough. He spears a small piece onto a fork, lifting it to his mouth. Despite myself, I grow excited to see his reaction. Hiro seems even more enthused about it. 

“Well, are you just going to stare at me like an abandoned puppy as I bite it? Pathetic, you should see the desperate looks in your faces.” Togami scoffs, dampening my mood a little. I just want to see if he decides to still dub them “plebeian pancakes” afterward. “Well then, I guess the both of you are going to continue,” he sighs, then reluctantly places the pancake in his mouth. Staying bored, there’s no change in his expression as he chews it. I figure it's better than it twisting into disgust. “Huh,” Togami sets the plate of sliced pancakes back down, then walks by me and Hiro to go to the kitchen. 

“So, do you think he liked it or nah?” Hiro chuckles.

I shrug, “I mean, he didn’t spit it out or look utterly repulsed, so I’m guessing he thought they were at least okay.”

“I see,” Messily, Hiro cuts the pancakes on his plate with the side of his fork, wiggling it until it touches the bottom. Already, he is shoveling the pancakes back in his mouth before we even sit back at the table. 

“What’s up with Byakuya?” Leon asks, his finger running up and down the water glass between our plates at the table. “You were watching him pretty intensely while he was eating,”

“Oh, we wanted to see his reaction to the pancakes, that’s all,” I answer, taking the glass away from him to drink it. 

His eyes widen as I take a few sips. “Did he like them?”

“I couldn’t really tell,” I sigh, using my fork to pick up a couple of the thin slices of strawberry still on my fruit plate. “They must have been somewhat good to him, he didn’t spit them out,”

“He thought they were poisoned too!” Hiro laughs heartily, throwing his head back. Leon laughs along with him, his chair dangerously lilting even farther back. Carelessly, he laughs, his chin tipping, eyes scrunching shut. The back of the chair is no longer precariously balanced, but is falling back steadily, and I throw out a hand to catch it, which throws me forward with the weight of Leon sitting in it. Somehow I manage to save him before his skull can crack on the floor, and he flashes me his signature grin. 

“Sorry, Etsuko! Thanks for the save though!”

I shove his chair forward so all of its legs are touching the floor. “Yeah, just please don’t do that again.”

“He thought they were poisoned? And he still ate them?” Mondo cocks his head to the side, and I finally notice his carefully applied eyeliner that is drawn from the outer corner of his eye to his cheekbones. It’s impressive, a weighty and steady line ending in a point by the middle of his cheek. I don’t remember it being so dramatic yesterday. 

“I convinced him otherwise, but I wish I had really been able to gauge his reaction. I wonder what he’s going to get from the kitchen that he likes better. His pancakes are still abandoned at the table.” 

Mondo peers around my shoulder at the table where Togami’s single, sliced pancake is getting colder on its plate. “You’re right, that’s weird,”

“One should always finish what they’ve started! Especially when it is the considerate cooking of others!” Taka nods along to his words. “Unless you are allergic or it is inedible, naturally!”

“Well I doubt that he’s allergic if he ate it, and apparently he didn’t dislike it either, so…” Chihiro hums. 

“It’ll just have to remain a mystery then, unless I can egg an answer out of him,” Mondo smirks, punching one hand against a palm. 

Fervently, I shake my head. “I think that would only cause more trouble. He’s really good at provoking people, as you already know, so I don’t think it’s worth it.”

“You tryin’ ta say something about me?” Mondo lowers his voice dangerously, so I shake my head again. 

“No, we all just know he’s good at making people mad at each other, you can tell just by looking at him.” 

“Yeah, she was just warning you,” Leon sighs, his eyes staring longingly at the glass my hand is wrapped around. “Can I have some of that?”

Forgetting Mondo’s accusation, I raise a thick brow at Leon. “You...you could just refill the empty one,” 

“Too much effort,” he slumps down in his chair, “Just give me a little soo, please?” He looks up at me with wide eyes, pleading for some. 

Giving in, I sigh and give him the water. “Just a little, don’t down the whole thing like last time,”

Surprisingly, he follows my order, having a sip and handing it back to me quickly. I raise my lips back to the glass, a smirk curling on Leon’s face. 

“Indirect smooch right there!” He cheers, pumping both fists in the air, then he looks to the others for approval.

“Our mouths were on opposite sides of the glass,” I murmur, my cheeks glowing red with embarrassment. 

One of his fingers ticks side to side, and he readies himself to prove me wrong. “I made sure to spin the glass, my plan turned out foolproof,”

“Leon!” Chihiro and I say at the same time, her tone surprised while mine is furious.

Mondo's voice mimics my fury. “That’s not cool, we all know that’s not proper dude. My brother always told me not to pull that stuff on a chick. Ask first always!”

“She didn’t say no, so technically that’s consent, right?” Taka appears shocked at Mondo, but I guessed Taka would be the one strict about consent. It worries me a little that he is saying this. 

Mondo’s brow perks, halting at Taka now. “You’re kidding me, right? Come on Mr. Hall Monitor, consent is a yes, we all learned this as men, right Hiro?”

“Yeah, Taka,” Hiro looks even more lost. Who would have known our Ultimate Moral Compass doesn’t know the basics of consent? 

“B-but as they say, silence gives consent, you know!” Taka defends, shaking in his chair a little. “We all know that!”

“That ain’t it man…” Mondo scoffs, “The chick didn’t even know what Leon was doing,”

“You should apologize, Leon. That was uncalled for,” Chihiro suggests.

Leon looks at me, but my face is set in embarrassment. His jaw falls for a moment. “Y-you all believed me? Really, I was meaning it as a joke! I’m not a sleazy guy! Believe me!”

A relieved exhale leaves me as he speaks. “It isn’t really that big of a deal, even if you did do that, it wasn’t even a real kiss,” I mutter, flustered by the weighty gazes of the table and the attention they were giving the small conflict between Leon and I. “Just don't do something like that again,” 

“Well now we at least know Taka is a creep,” Mondo rolls his purple eyes. Are they even purple?? I can't truly tell.

Taka stays silent, eyes clenched shut. I want to try to comfort him, he looks really conflicted, a drop of sweat falling from his temple. Who in the world had told him that?

“I don’t think Taka is a creep...I think he was just told that and took it to heart…”

Taka’s red eyes shoot open to look at me, nearly grateful for my words. “Th-thank you Etsuko! It was not my intention to say something that was offensive and incorrect! I will try to educate myself more on this topic, seeing how it is a sensitive one!” 

“Oh, uh, okay Taka, that’s a start,” I try to find words to respond with, but he seems content with my affirmation and nods his head solidly. Then he looks down at his plate, but sees it now empty with the exception of some crumbs and a small pool of syrup. In front of Mondo is Taka’s old plate, the neat slices recognizable from Taka’s delicate cutting I had seen from the corner of my eye. Mondo is digging in eagerly, not catching Taka’s bewilderment at his empty plate. 

“What has happened to my breakfast?” 

“Mondo switched it while you were all depressed a moment ago,” Hiro laughs, trying to lighten Taka’s mood. “We can share, if you want,”

I put the last slice of apple on my plate in my mouth, chewing it slowly to savor the rich flavor of it. 

“That would be nice,” Taka hesitantly takes one of Hiro’s uneven slices of pancake, then holds the sticky shape to his face, eyeing it intensely. “How much syrup did you concentrate on this one piece?”

Hiro shrugs and laughs again at Taka’s face. “Not that much,” 

“I-I have no other option than to believe you,” Hand steady, he places it on his tongue, lips clamping down on the fork and sliding it out. For a moment, he has a thoughtful look on his face as he eats, before the serene expression is shattered by surprise. It stays until he swallows, then he shouts, “Now that was intense!”

“Huh? The syrup?” Leon is squeezing a slice of strawberry in between his index and thumb, the sugar water Sakura had soaked them in running down to his ring. 

Nodding, Taka responds, “So much sugar in one bite! It was too sweet!”

“Live a little,” Mondo mutters, annoyed. It astounds me how the two have managed to sit together this long. 

Looking around at the other tables, I see many people have abandoned their spots and have moved on to go somewhere else. A few stacks of plates are on some, they didn’t bother to bring them back to the kitchen. Byakuya’s plate has disappeared, and I guess that someone else might have seen it and taken it to eat themselves. But who would take a pancake with a piece already eaten? Someone like Hiro probably, but I can’t guess anyone else, since there are whole pancakes still left on the main plate. 

I turn back to Leon. “I’m going to clean up a little, that alright?”

“I’m not the boss of you babe, do whatever,” Leon catches his words and covers his mouth with both hands.

My face burns red, the sudden pet name striking a chord in my now rushing heart. “I never heard anything. What, was I Sayaka for a second or something?” I chuckle under my breath, grabbing Leon’s empty plate, then my own. “Are you done Chihiro?”

“Yeah, you can take it, thanks!” She hands it to me, grabbing the utensils on my stack to put it on her own so it’s a functional pile. She even grabs our empty fruit plates and puts them on top.

“Thank you so much, Chihiro, that’s a huge help!” I look back at the three others I haven’t retrieved dining ware from. “Can I grab anything from you guys?” 

Taka smiles and gives me Mondo’s empty plate and his own knife, before grabbing another bite from Hiro’s communal platter. Mondo just shakes his head.

Leaving my own table, I debate whether I should grab an empty one’s stack. I decide to do so, and it makes my arms hang low with the weight. Rushing to the kitchen, I place the dirty plates on the counter next to the sink. “Man, I still have my stuff from before to clean up,”

Walking out of the kitchen, I grab the other loose plates to clean, satisfied to see most of them left with no stray pancake sliver left. The new pile of dishes to clean is intimidating when I put it back in the kitchen. Oh well, I’ve tackled worse before, without the small dishwasher to the left of the fridge. I grab as many utensils as can fit and put them in the dishwasher, knowing I can hand wash the rest with a good sponge and soap. Each plate gets a small rinse under the faucet before being placed next to each other in the machine. Like the utensils, a few don’t fit so I’ll have to wash them myself. It takes me a little bit to find the drying rack for the dishes out of all the things in the kitchen, but I put it to the left of the sink, and carefully scrub all of the leftover dishes clean. It’s homely work, one that reminds me of all the times I would volunteer to assist mothers and fathers in my community with their endless lists of chores. 

“Yo! You’ve been in here for sooo long, I thought you had abandoned me!” Leon’s voice nearly shocks me enough to drop the plate I'm cleaning. His hand ghosts the small of my back. “Hard at work I see, can I lend a hand?” 

“If there are any more used dishes, could you bring them in here? That would be great,” 

“Anything! I’ll be right back!” Hearing his footsteps clamber out of the room, I look back in time to see the kitchen door swing shut behind him. Smiling to myself, I continue to wash the dishes. I nearly finish the stack I have been working on when Leon drops a new one where the old one had been set. “Hey, earlier, I’m sorry, it’s habit,” Leon rushes out, and I almost can’t understand what he’s trying to say. 

“Habit?” I take the top few utensils and run them under the soapy water, take my sponge, and scrub the mess on them away.   
“Well,” Leon’s hip hits my own, nudging me so we can share the sink. In his own hand is a glass, and he’s wiping a new sponge along the inside of it, frothy bubbles trailing behind wherever he wiped. “I don’t call a lot of people that, but it felt natural to me, so I guessed…”

“Natural?” I repeat his words again, casting a glance at his face, which is turned down to focus on his task. I’m glad he isn’t looking back at me, because this way I can let my heart calm down a little. 

Finally, he shrugs. “Like second nature, it slid in there before I could stop it. Sorry, I don’t mean to make you uncomfortable.” 

“That’s weird,” I place the dripping utensils in an empty spot on the large drying rack, then reach across Leon to grab a plate. “Second nature…”

“Yeah, like,” He turns on the faucet, and the water spills into the silence between us. Inside his filled glass, he swishes around the soapy water thoughtlessly. Pouring it out, some gets on my already wet hand, so I don’t mind very much. He scooches closer to me, and I let him, turning my plate diagonally so the rim of it doesn’t collide with the plate he picks up to clean. In sync, we circle out sponges around the plate, turn it, then do the other side for good measure. He flicks the faucet off with his wrist, and the water ceases its downpour into the pooled soap water. Finally, I hear the soft hums vibrating from his pursed lips. It’s unsteady, the notes changing oddly and the tempo being thrown off a couple times, but it still is pleasant to listen to. He must notice the grin twisting my lips, because it softens further, so I have to focus on trying to hear it above the now obnoxious sound of him swirling the water in the sink around so he can clean the plate underneath it. Slowly, he gains confidence, and I loll my head towards him so it is the only thing filling my mind, my hands working at the dirty dishes with weary, practiced motions. It’s so serene, his jaunty tune that slowly turns into something sweeter, steadier in the air. He picks up the pace of the song, his hips swaying lightly side to side, occasionally hitting my own wider ones. I reach over for the next plate, but my hand swoops through air instead, my nails hitting the hard steel countertop. Leon is finishing the last glass, and he notices my outstretched hand. “Well, I hope you enjoyed your serenade,” he mumbles, making me laugh and playfully swat his chest with water. 

“It was nice,” my voice is softer than I wish it was, revealing my fondness for my new friend, the gentle vulnerability I try to keep concealed behind layers of varying abrasiveness. Something about him is making me slip, a comfort that seeps through my pores. It...it isn’t so bad, right? I am so used to trying to make others happy, but this time, it feels different. Like I am being treated with that same, overwhelming consideration back, and now my body doesn’t remember who I am or how to act, or what to think, or what to do, or why this is even happening. Something about the way he treats me so kindly, making sure I am doing alright, being there for me whenever I need someone...even after just one day...the unfamiliar reciprocation is making me panic. All defenses in me are screaming to close back up, to go back in time and reverse me showing any vulnerability, to just be friendly acquaintances, to be there for him but not to let anyone else see your weaknesses. But my heart longs to open up for once, and to spread open to the person standing just next to me, so close, his hip making contact with mine. 

Nodding, Leon sets the last dripping glass on the rack, which is full of cleaned kitchen ware. “As I was saying before, it was out before I even knew what was happening. Like I’ve already called you that before...or something. Even looking back, I don’t think it was meant in a weird way. I think it was more like, in a friendly way.” 

“Platonically calling me babe on instinct?” With my head cocked to the side, I lean back against the counter and slide in front of him. My heart is speeding, unrestrained and pounding so loud it shocks my thoughts out of my mind. My body moves all on its own. All I can think of are the silver eyes staring into my own, the small smile that has been ever present and curling at his lip. “That’s cute,” 

Surprised, he steps away, “Come on! What? How do I-?”

“I meant it in like, a friendly way,” I shrug, trying to also brush off the embarrassment of being so nonchalant. At least I could pass up the two words as a joke. Not that he wasn’t cute though. 

Approaching me again, Leon only needs two steps to close most of the distance he had put between us a second ago. One brow twitches upward, his eyes turning half lidded. One hand on the counter on each side of me, he leans me over, making my back arch so a few stray hairs falling from my knot are close to touching the draining water in the sink. “How about I pin you here, but in a friendly way? No need for all that embarrassment then, huh?” His eyes trail down to my blazing red cheeks, mocking me. Maybe I shouldn’t have taunted him, because now the memory of the cyclone in my stomach will haunt me the rest of my life. How easily he advanced, how fast I succumbed and didn’t push him away, how warm my face was glowing, and how viscous the butterflies in my tummy were. Successful in making me flustered, he steps back, cheeks turning pink. “You weren’t uncomfortable or anything, right? I was just trying to tease you because you did that to me. Sorry, I didn’t even make sure you were alright with me getting that close, I-”

“Leon, I appreciate that, but this is like the third time something like this has happened today, it’s nearly comical.” I laugh, trying to distract myself from the twist in my gut. “But it was fine,” 

“I promise to not do it again! I get it, saying sorry but not changing fixes nothing, that was just super uncool of me.” 

“Don’t worry about it,”

I smile at him. He smiles back, making the ticklish feeling inside of me grow. We leave the kitchen, and Hina is working on scrubbing down the table she and Sakura had been sitting at. 

“Hey you two! Breakfast was delish, am I right?” she cheers, her bubbly energy still at full force. 

“Absolutely!” Leon gives her a thumbs up, grin stretching enormously wide. The whip of tangled nerves within me still hasn’t calmed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey!! i hope this chapter was good lol! i worked really hard on making sure everyone was in character but i'm not sure if i hit the right mark for it T-T i also tried to make some parts kind of funny, not sure if i was successful in that either. if you're reading this, i hope you enjoyed! lots of love <3


	9. Chapter 9

We stand together outside of the dining hall, unsure what to do now that breakfast is over. Toko was looking around frantically, but when she saw us she scampered away, a frightened look on her face. I wonder what she had been looking for, but I doubt she would tell me if I asked. 

“Well, what do we do now?” Leon ruffles a hand through his spikes of red hair. “We should stick together, but what is there to even do…”

“We were supposed to search for an exit, but,” I think for a moment. “Do you think Monokuma gave us a change of clothes?” 

“What?”

“Like, pajamas. I hadn’t checked in my room, but if not I can make a nightgown for myself. It was kind of weird sleeping in my day clothes.” 

“I don’t want to be smelly either,” Leon leans back, hands falling in his pockets so his elbows poke out at his sides. “Yeah, you should check that out in your room,” 

“Kind of dumb I didn’t do it last night,” We start walking to the red hallways of the dorms. “What about yours?”

“Already looked all around when I was getting my stuff to sleep, there’s not a single change of clothes for me.”

I reach in the pocket of my skirt, having to push up my sweater to access the spot I had slid the key to my dorm in last night. I open the door, entering with Leon following behind. I point to the drawers and shelves lining the opposite wall. “Can you look over there for me, I’ll check everywhere else,”

“Let’s do this!” Leon hurries over and starts digging through drawers and jangling the things inside. I wonder what Monokuma had put inside, what the things his hands are fishing through possibly are. 

“We could also ask Monokuma if there are spare clothes for us, but I also doubt he would be so kind,” I sigh, pushing the final drawer I had to check closed. Once again, I had gone on a fruitless search. 

“Ask Monokuma?” Leon swivels on his heels, a skeptical look on his face. It’s similar to the last one he had when I suggested asking Monokuma the other night. “I mean-”  
“Well hello there!” Monokuma’s shrill voice shocks us both, and we look to the doorway where he is standing idly. 

Leon jumps, arms freezing at his sides. “How did you get here?” 

“Puhuhu...don’t worry about it....anyway, you two were talking about extra clothes?”

“H-how did you know?” Leon shivers, his eyes flickering between the bear and my frozen body. 

Monokuma’s claws juts out of one hand. “ _Don’t worry about it,_ but no, I’m afraid that you have no spare clothes. You just got here and hadn’t unpacked your stuff, was I supposed to put them away _for_ you?”

“So there’s a laundry room but no laundry…?” Leon asks, scratching his head as he approaches Monokuma who is still standing at the doorway. 

“Don’t question it, every good school has a laundry room! Why not Hope’s Peak too! Bye bye now!” the door swings open for Monokuma to walk out, and the both of us stand there in silence. 

Leon is the first to move, shaking his head and stepping back to where I am. His brows are lowered, but he brightens up when his silver eyes catch mine. “That was weird, you okay?”

“Mhm,” I let out a breath, disappointed with Monokuma’s answer. But if there were clothes for us, I’m sure that would have just weirded me out even more. “I guess I should get going on making myself some stuff now, huh? A nightgown would be nice and simple.” I brush past him to the fabrics leaning against the wall. Sliding my hand down some of them, I try to decide which one would be best for a night gown. “I’m sure you want something for the night too, Leon?” 

I startle when he puts a hand on my shoulder, I hadn’t noticed him follow me to the fabrics. “Yeah, if you can.” 

“I’ll need to measure you then,” I grin, stepping back and accidentally shoving him as I rush over to the tape measure draped across the neck of a mannequin. I grab the small notepad and pencil that are against one of the dressers. I put my hands out straight at my sides, showing Leon how he needs to look in order for me to get the right numbers. Confusion knits in his brow. “Can you stand like this for me?”

“Oh, right,” he chuckles, mirroring my pose. 

First, I wrap the yellow tape around his chest, brushing my fingers across it to smooth out the tape. The fabric of his shirt is soft cotton, a pleasant plush feel as I slide my fingers across it and the rougher tape. Being this close means the scent of sandalwood, sweet, soft, floral, wraps me in its rich embrace. It isn’t a toxic chemical scent that could suggest that he drowns himself in cologne, it’s more of an almost natural scent on him, like he had been using the scent so often it stuck to him, refusing to leave the baseball player alone, even after sweating during long nights of games. It is nice, and the obscure familiarity of it nudges me closer to him, as if his arms were wrapping around me again, and I could almost feel the tickle of his red tousles of hair. The ghost of last night’s comforting hug distracts me from my task, my hands now pressed still against him. Flushing, I read the 80cm where the tape meets. I unwrap it, hand circling around his torso to grab the other end, then wrap it again, checking for the same number. I can only hope that he isn’t mistaking my action for something weird. The double check is a necessary ritual to me, because of the so many times I had misread with my blurry, tired eyes, forced to stay open during late nights trying to fashion a new set of clothes for someone in my neighborhood who had requested it. Reaching the same number, I jot it down on the notebook, my writing jumbled and messy, yet somehow legible to me after years of scrawling in the print. Next I move on to his shoulders, measuring the length of them. The gathered strands of his beard brush against my bangs and forehead as I lean close to run my hand against him again. Stance wavering, he leans forward a little, lips parting to breath through them. His breath smells sweet and fruity, reminiscent of the strawberries we had eaten earlier. I continue, wrapping and rewrapping the bright yellow tape around him, taking the necessary measurements and writing them down. Kneeling beneath him, I ready to measure his thigh. Gently, I swat at his leg for him to spread them further apart from where they are stiffly planted. When he doesn’t move, I crane my neck upwards to see Leon who is blushing a bright red. 

“Can you spread your legs a little?” I request, and he follows my words, spreading them enough for me to comfortable measure the circumference of his thigh. As I loop the tape around, he clears his throat awkwardly. “What?” I pause and look back up to his glowing face.

“Why do you need to measure my leg?” Leon averts his gaze from my face to my still hands against his leg. “For what you said you were making,” he adds when I stay confused. 

“A nightgown?” Blinking, I drop the measure from one of my hands, and gather it back in my other one, pleased with stopping now. I was planning on making a shirt and short set for him, but just a nightgown would be much faster for me to get done. “If it’s a nightgown you want, then I can get started right away!”

“No, no!” Leon breaks his pose to wave his hands in front of him. “I thought that was the only option, but I’ll take the alternative,”

Teasing him, I say, “You’re too good for a gown?” Waiting for his response, I return to the task of measuring his slim thighs. The denim of his jeans itches against my hands, and I ignore the rough texture of it as I flatten the measurer around him. 

“No...I just would be embarrassed in a dress,” he admits, the leg free of the tape measurer shifting. 

“I get it Leon, don’t worry. It will just take a little longer, but I’m sure it will be done by tonight.” Done with the second measure, I write down the number for his thigh, then get up, remembering to take his hip measurement. My hands meet behind him, arms wrapping around his sides. Fingers brushing against the small of his back, I adjust it to be around his hips. His studded belts that hang outside of the loops meant for them on his pants get in the way, so I push them upward towards where his belly button would be, and I feel a stud poking out beneath his shirt as I hold them up. A belly button piercing? Is it even possible for someone our age to get one? Leon sees me struggling to measure his waist, and puts his hands over mine, the calloused pads of his fingers rubbing my knuckles. I drop the belts, and he moves his hands to lift them up for me. “Thanks,” 

He mumbles something, and I guess it’s a ‘you’re welcome,’ so I smile, able to properly measure him twice. The second time my hand brushes against his stomach on accident, I feel the small stud again, and decide on asking him sometime I feel he would be more comfortable. Something about the way he nervously moves side to side makes me think asking him about it would just make him more weird about this. I hope that I’m not...violating him in any way. I sneak a glance up at his face, which mostly looks...serene? His mouth twitches as the right side of his lips perk up nervously. The pink across his cheeks darkens under my gaze. 

“I haven’t made you uncomfortable, right?” I cock my head to the side, hoping his answer would be no. I really should have asked before, and now I am mimicking all the times he has already said something like this to me. 

Shaking his head, he looks up at the ceiling, then back at my awaiting eyes. “No, I’ve just never really been...measured before. There was one time, but they weren’t a pretty person like you.” 

Blushing, I check the number on the measure and take the tape back from around him for the last time. “I-” My attempt at forming words fails, so I move over to write the last number on my paper. Free of his gaze directly on me, I say, “Thank you. I’m honored, but you don’t always have to waste your compliments on me.”

“Waste?” Leon relaxes, his belts falling back over his hips and criss-crossing with each other. 

I look up from my paper and peer at his confused expression. I remember what I saw in the mirror this morning. There isn’t a possible way he isn’t fabricating his words. They would be better put to use with anyone else here, especially the Ultimate Pop Idol who had him smitten yesterday. 

Shaking his head again, he looks nearly disappointed in me. “It’s not a waste if it’s true,”

Conceding to not argue over this, I give him a small smile. “If you insist. Thank you again,” My head ducks forward as I move past him again towards the fabric lining the wall. 

A white, kind of sheer, thin material had caught my eye earlier, and I debate using it for myself. It wouldn’t be the warmest night shift, but the blankets in the room worked well enough, and I wouldn’t have to hassle through cutting across thicker fabric. Pulling it out, I rest it against my leg, then look for something Leon would like. I flinch when I see a patterned fabric with baseballs on it. Had Monokuma really thought I would use something like that? Patterned fabric wasn’t something I used most of the time, unless for sheets and pillow cases, but I don’t think I would ever consider picking out one related to sports.

A ringed index finger reaches out and taps a simple red polyester fabric. “Can I get this one?”

“Yeah,” I pull that one out next, pushing it up against the other one. I look back at the fabrics, finding a simple cotton one and pulling it out too. I should probably also fashion some underwear. I turn to Leon, wanting to ask if he wants me to make him some too. I decide on asking, “Do you need undergarments?”

“Undergarments?” He repeats before flushing with realization. “S-sure, that would be nice. If you don’t mind,” 

I pull out a darker fabric, then am satisfied with my collection. “What was in the drawers you went through?”

“Huh? Like there was thread and more of that stuff,” he points at the fabric, and I hoist the ones I had chosen under one arm so I can move over to where Leon had searched. It doesn’t take me long to find what he is talking about, and I find a small pouch to put some buttons, elastic, thread, and a few other necessary things in. “Do you want to come to my room?”

I look at Leon, shrugging at his suggestion. 

“I can play you some stuff while you work. I can show you my Ultimate Punk Musician skills!”

“That would be cool,”

He walks over to me, holding his hands out, expecting me to give him something. I stare at him, unsure what he wants to be put there. Eyes moving back to my face, he studies it, before speaking. “I can help you carry some of that stuff,” He motions to my full hands.

“Oh, thanks,” I struggle trying to put a bolt of fabric into his outstretched arms, but he sees what I’m trying to achieve and takes all of them away from where I had tucked them at my side, so now I’m just left with my pouch of things. “You okay with that?”

“Yup!”

We leave my room, taking a quick walk through the hallway before entering his. He opens the unlocked door, letting me enter before he does as he holds open the door politely. I step inside, looking for a place to sit. I see a small chair tucked into the desk behind the bed, and pull it out and around so it’s next to the bed. The fact that the beds aren’t pushed up against the wall further shows how insane Monokuma is. I find a small table that sticks out from the wall and pull the chair along so I can sit on one side and can watch Leon play in front of me on the other. My back faces the entrance of the room, and I drop my pouch on top of the dark mahogany shelf. Leon places the bolts of fabric down on it too, smiling as he moves around the room to prepare. 

“I’m going to warm up a little first, alright? Don’t judge me for it,”

Assuring him that I won’t, I lay out the dark fabric I had taken out for Leon. Referencing the measurements I had taken, I write small guidelines for me to use to cut out the pieces of fabric I need. Leon is tinkering with his amp and the guitar, plucking a few notes and trying to tune it. His fingers work quickly and with practice, similar to the way mine do as I pin the fabric together. As I’m cutting out the fabric, I stop to look up at what Leon’s doing. But Leon isn’t in front of me anymore. My heart skips, and I look behind me but he isn’t there either. 

“Leon?” I say, but I get no response. Noticing the closed bathroom door, I sigh in relief. He’s probably just in there. Turning back to my work, I finish cutting out the pieces for some underwear for him. I take a needle out of the pouch, my stomach turning at the sight. I swallow my nervousness that I get while looking at it and push my thoughts away. Threading the needle with dark thread, I place it to the side and place the pins again so I can sew around them. Content with what I’ve constructed with the pins, I pick up the thin needle again and pierce the fabric with it. Looping the thread around, my fingers moving around in small, quick motions, I easily have completed the seams on one of the pieces when the bathroom door opens, and I look over to see Leon stepping out of it. One finger is still pushing the needle through, and it pricks my other hand, but I’m so used to the sensation I don’t react. 

“Alright! Ready to hear some real music!?” Leon enthuses, pumping a fist in the air and rushing by me. Recklessly, he picks up the guitar in one hand, nearly tripping over the cord connecting it to the amp. He plucks a few strings, and my hands itch to move up to cover my ears at the loud, harsh sound, but they are already occupied. So instead, my face just scrunches up in pain. “Oh, should I turn it down?”

“Yes, you should,” I laugh, and I watch him lean over and turn one of the knobs on the amp, before strumming, this time the sound is less harsh, but still pretty loud.

Satisfied with the new volume, Leon straightens and starts nodding his head to a beat, his mouth making small sounds I can’t make out. Finally, he opens his mouth wide and starts to sing. He starts off with a simple aww sound, the tone of it steadily rising until he starts to strum the guitar, his fingers moving across the frets clumsily. Some notes sound a little off, but he continues anyway, smile breaking out on his face as he sings the first line. “ _Standing in a queue of a school canteen, guys on the corner they were laughin' at me,”_

I don’t recognize the song, but his voice is mellifluous, his already smooth tone turning breathy. When his eyes flicker away from looking at his guitar intensely to me, I look down and return to my sewing. Hips swaying side to side, he becomes more confident with the second line. 

“ _But I don't mind if they see it all, you know I gotta come clean,”_

My fingers dance across the fabric as I continue sewing the other side of what will be his undergarments. Rocking my head side to side, I start to feel a little more energetic, the booming notes of the guitar chasing away any fatigue I had left. 

“ _I gotta come clean._ ” A flash of quick movement in front of me leads my vision up to where Leon is slightly twirling, a huge grin on his face as he pauses in between lyrics. “ _I got a crush on you!_ ” He holds out the ‘ooo’ sound, his hand strumming up and down repeatedly in the same chord. His eyes meet mine, flashing with excitement. It seems that the stress of this situation really had washed away in this moment, and I let myself become engrossed in his singing. Reluctant, my eyes trail back down to the fabric clenched between my fingers as I continue to move the needle in between my steady fingers. 

“ _My mind don't need it but my body do, a little bit of loving and attention for you. Although we're only strangers, they don't need to know,”_ He begins to bounce up and down to the upbeat rhythm, his guitar making a few weird notes as his hand tries to keep up with the song. The next line is mumbled, and the sound of his voice drowns into the sound of the raucous guitar. After a few seconds of murmuring, he returns to repeat the earlier line of “ _Ooh, I got a crush on you,_ ” except this time his voice rings out almost cloyingly. I’m removing some of the pins of the fabric as he continues. “ _I want to get serious right away, one-two, I got a crush on you! What you doin' today or any other day? One-two, I got a crush on you, just one look and I go insane. One-two, I got a crush on you!”_

There’s a long section with no lyrics, Leon’s thin lips pressed together in concentration as he moves his ringed fingers across the silver strings of his guitar. He winces at a few wrong notes, and I hold up my creation in the air, before pinning the next section together and preparing for the last seam I need to finish. He hasn’t been singing for long, but I’m close to finishing this pair for him already. The beat is thrown off, and he probably forgets the exact notes of the song he’s playing, but soon enough it picks back up and he flashes a grin. He starts to sing again, loud and clear, his voice grating against the notes of the guitar. Repeating the line of “ _I got a crush on you_ ” and a few more other lines, he finally finishes, the guitar sounds turning messy as his voice raises louder and louder. When the sound of the guitar fades away, I set down my work and clap my hands together in applause. Surprisingly, there are a few other sets of clapping from behind me. Leon’s gaze darts between me and the doorway, and I look to see Hiro, Chihiro, Mondo, Taka, and Junko all clapping at the doorway. Face flushing, Leon bows down low, trying to hide his embarrassed blush. 

“That was great dude!” Hiro steps forward, offering a hand out to Leon, who takes it warily before he is pulled into Hiro’s chest in a bro hug. It’s a little awkward with the guitar squished between them, but Hiro ignores it and holds him close anyway. 

“Leon Kuwata!” Taka’s firm voice cuts through the moment between the two boys. “I could hear that from the dining hall! Please don’t interrupt other’s daily activities with such loud noise!”

“Oh, sorry man?” Leon states it as a question, cheeks turning a darker shade of red. 

Mondo steps forward, tugging Taka out of his way. “Don’t be such a damn pain in the ass, Hall Monitor! Leon, that was something I wasn’t expecting today! It didn’t sound too awful even,”

“Well, thanks,” Leon looked a little out of his comfort zone with all the different remarks his singing was getting. He might not be the best at the guitar, but still, the performance was impressive. Leon looks over the other’s heads, searching for someone, and looks disappointed before looking back at Chihiro who is smiling brightly up at him. 

“That was so impressive, Leon!” Chihiro laughs, and Leon ruffles her light brown hair and thanks her. 

Junko takes the opportunity to say her own compliment. “That wasn’t half bad, you punk wannabe! It’s nothing like what I’m used to hearing at concerts, but with enough practice maybe you can be half as good, you know!” 

Leon frowns a little, eyes turning to look at the floor in dismay. 

“Well, I thought it was amazing Leon! I could definitely imagine you on a stage someday,” Brightening at my comment, Leon looks to me and grins. One hand is still clutching onto the guitar, his other reaching up to play with his hair. “What song was it?” I ask, noting to remember what he says for when we finally leave here I can listen to the fun tune. 

“1-2 Crush on You, by The Clash, one of my favorite bands.” Leon says, beaming at me as he steps closer to where I’m still seated. “But I’m working on writing some songs of my own,”

“Really?” Leon nods in response. “You better play me one someday, then!” 

“Sure will,” Leon gives me a thumbs up with his free hand, then looks at the fabric on my lap. “Wow, you already done with it?”

“Nearly,” I hold it up, pointing to the part with pins still stuck in it. 

“Cool,” he flushes as everyone else sees what I’m making, most of them giving me confused glances. 

“What are those?” Taka walks forward and leans over my shoulder, one hand resting on the back of the chair as he stares at the almost down boxers. 

I wave a hand in front of his face dismissively. “Nothing really,”

Mondo slams his hands on the table, bending over so his pompadour is nearly touching my arm. “Looks like some underwear!” He laughs heartily, making Leon and I both blush. When no one says anything, he sobers. “Wait, are you really making underwear?”

Nodding, I avert my eyes from his pink ones, scared of the judgement I can sense lurks beneath them. If he wasn’t nice to Taka, who just wanted the best for the group, I doubt he would be very nice to me either. 

“For Leon?”

I freeze, looking over to Leon who is making a zipping gesture across his lips, his face painted with apprehension and fear. I didn’t really want to disclose that either, and I wanted to save Leon as much embarrassment in this moment as possible. “No,” I say, hoping they don’t see through my lie.  
“Who are they for then? You!? A chick doesn’t wear manly stuff like that!”

“Girls can wear stuff like this too,” I say through gritted teeth. It is true, they did make women’s underwear in this style, but I didn’t really want anyone trying to imagine me wearing this if they were doubting it. 

“Really? Then are you wearing some right now!? The only way to test your integrity is to see for ourselves! Now do it, show us that what you say is the truth!” Taka shouts in my ear, and I jump, nearly falling out of the chair, my face and neck burning at his words. What the hell?? After the incident this morning, this was just making me even more curious about what kind of childhood this guy had. Taka presses further when the room stays in shocked silence. “Well, will you show us?”

“Shut up! That’s not cool Taka! Don’t barge into a girl’s business like that!” Leon exclaims, and I look at him thankfully. 

“Yeah, asking to see a chick’s underwear is gross, dude,” Mondo shakes his head, looking down nearly in shame. He had, in a way, unintentionally provoked this kind of comment from the inquisitive Kiyotaka. 

Taka doesn’t seem to read the room yet, and I feel bad as Mondo’s pointed glare sharpens. “How else will we know if this is true? Honesty is the best policy-”

“Okay, you can stop now, they aren’t for her, they’re for me,” Leon sighs, and my mouth parts, wishing to erase the flush of embarrassment dusting his pale skin.

Stiffening, Taka stands up straight, sensing the tension in the room, the same kind of distasteful air that was present during the moment at breakfast. Junko and Chihiro both still look bewildered. “I apologize again, I didn’t realize how unwholesome my commands were until too late. I only hope you can forgive me and we can move on from this.” Taka’s voice is meek and genuine, and I put a hand on his pristine white sleeve. 

“Please just never do something like that again,”

“I promise I won’t!” His voice returns to its usual assertive tone. 

“So you’re making that for Leon?” Junko scoffs, and her eyes look back to the other bolts of fabric on the shelf. “What’s the rest of that for?”

“Pajamas,” I answer simply, taking the needle and returning to my sewing. My fingers tremble, the embarrassment of a few seconds ago still wracking me. 

“Oooooo, can I have some too?” she grins, throwing a peace sign in the air.

“Oh, sure, I’ll just have to get your measurements.”

Like it’s second nature, she prattles them off, and I hurry to log them onto my notepad, adding her name under Leon’s numbers. “Thanks Etsuko! I don’t really care about what it looks like actually, so you can just do whatever, I gotta go now! Bye!” She hurries off, her heels tapping down the hallway. It’s shocking to hear that an Ultimate Fashionista doesn’t care what an article of her clothing looks like, but I guess that she doesn’t want it to be too much of a hassle for me. 

“Can we all request something then?” Hiro winks at me, a hopeful look taking over his round features. 

“Oh, sure, I just hope you don’t mind if it takes a little bit, and I’ll also need measurements from anyone who wants anything.” 

“Cool! I want some pajamas and some sick underwear like Leon’s getting!” Hiro shouts, making Leon flush again. 

Mondo speaks up too. “I wouldn’t mind a change for nighttime either,”

“I’m sure we all would like some comfortable sleeping attire!” Taka speaks up, smiling down at me. “And I don’t mind being measured!”

Chihiro doesn’t say anything, but her face is contorted with debate. I figure to ask her if she wants anything later, in case she’s embarrassed asking in front of the others. 

“We should go to my room then, so I can get everything done quicker.” I stand, leading everyone out of Leon’s and back to my dorm. I set down the materials I had brought to Leon’s on one of the many wooden surfaces in the room, and grab the extra tape measurers. I rip a piece of paper off for everybody, and find enough pencils for people to write with. I hand everyone one of the things I picked up, and stand in front of the four who are lined up. Leon is slumped onto my bed, lazily plucking at the strings that are stifled without the amp. “It will be much more efficient if everyone just measures themselves, so I’m going to show you how to do it. Once you measure something, write what it was and the number in centimeters down on the paper I gave you. Oh, and write your name on it too!” I instruct them about measuring their shoulders, bust, hips, and thighs, some (Hiro) having more trouble with it than others. When they finish, they hand me their papers, pointing to the fabric they want for each thing on their list. I set aside the fabrics for them, placing the corresponding paper on top of it. Chihiro is still measuring her legs, struggling because of her large skirt. Hesitating briefly, I approach her to offer assistance. 

“Do you need help with that?” I ask gently, and her glistening eyes look up to mine. 

“Y-yes,” Chihiro mumbles, handing me the measuring tape. I kneel down, blushing as she pulls up her skirt for me to fit the measurer around her small legs. Quickly, I wrap it around her once, adjust it, and reach the same number. I release the tape, standing up and smiling. “Thank you,” Chihiro looks behind her to Leon, who is staring at the ceiling, still strumming the guitar. “Can we talk, over there,” she points to the opposite end of the room from where Leon is laying. 

“Of course, we can pick out the right fabric for you,” I say, leading her to the bolts still leaning against each other. With a softer voice, I ask, “So what’s up?”

“If you don’t mind, I’d rather have bloomers,” Chihiro mumbles out, barely intelligible. Her face glows pink at her request. 

I nod my head, trying to reassure her that it’s not something to be embarrassed about. “Of course, do you want a nightgown or a set of pajamas?” I motion to the list in one of her small hands. 

“A set,” she hands me the list, looking around me to the fabrics before pointing to the dark green silk that is still untouched. “With that fabric, and for the other thing, can I just have that,” She points to a lighter floral design. 

“Yup! Sounds good! I’ll have them ready soon,” 

She runs a finger down one of the locks of her tousled hair. “Thanks again,” She bows her head slightly before hurrying away out of the room. 

“I should probably get started right away,” I say under my breath, glancing at the lackadaisical Leon still playing with the guitar on my bed. I smile at the sight, his eyebrows are perked up, eyes half lidded, fingers moving rhythmically across the strings. His chest heaves up and down with a heavy breath. I find myself inching closer to where his platforms hang over the bed. He catches my weighty stare, meeting eyes and not moving them. Fingers pausing across the frets, he blinks slowly. My heart speeds up, suddenly overcome with nerves. Our eyes are locked, until he speaks. 

“Make my stuff first,”

I giggle, and he does too, our laughs tangling in the air, my gasping one dancing with his hearty one.

“Will do Kuwata,” I say, grabbing the pile I had set down earlier and making sure his underwear had been finished. Finally, a completed set of boxers dangle from my fingers, and I throw it onto his face. My voice turns cloyingly sweet. “For you.”

“Thanks, they look cool,” Leon twirls them in the air before putting them on his chest to rest there as he continues to strum the guitar. 

“You can grab your amp if you want to play, I don’t mind.” I suggest, sitting down to start tracing out the lines for his set of pajamas. 

A shuffle of movement by the bed signals to me he is going along with my idea. “Sweet,” he murmurs as he passes by me, platforms clomping away. When he returns, his steps are weighed down by the amp held in his hand. Focusing on my work, I hear as he plugs it in and adjusts the volume again. When he starts to sing, his voice is light and soft, a contrast to the excited and jumpy one earlier. “ _I don't want to be alone, and I don't want to be high. But that's the way I've been living life,_ ”

He repeats the same few chords, his guitar soft enough that I can hear the snipping of my scissors against the soft fabric. I finish cutting out the first piece and move onto the next.

“ _I don’t know what I want, or what I’m running from. Should have filled up last stop, now my light is on.”_

I glance over at his content face, where his eyes are closed, his lips spreading into a smile. Still, his fingers run over the chords and up and down in the same few positions over the frets. His voice, breathy and calm, soothes me too, and I return to my work, a smile mirroring his own on my face. 

“ _I don’t want to be home, and I don’t want the road. Don’t want to tell anyone about my episodes.”_

I let go of the scissors, shaking my hand out. They are small scissors, not to my liking, yet they work to my liking if not for the cramps my hand develops after using them for a while. 

“ _What I wouldn’t do,”_ he strums at the break in between the phrase, his voice cracking when he sings. “ _For just one glimpse of you,”_ His breaths turn heavy, and I can hear the blankets underneath him moving. “ _Sitting across from me, sharing this scenery.”_

I focus on my work, pinning the different scraps of red fabric together in the pattern I am used to sewing together. This task makes me glad my talent can be useful to people, unlike what Byakuya had scoffed when we had first met. My hands work methodically, my ears tuning into Leon’s peaceful singing. 

“ _And now,_ ” he stretches out the last syllable, his voice steady. “ _But more time wasting my life looking for what’s not there._ _I’ve come too far to be this unhappy. I’m just happy right now that your arms are around me.”_

Soon enough, I’ve started threading the needle and pulling it back and forth between the fabric, my seams simple and strong. He repeats his earlier chorus, more sure of himself now than when he was beginning. The song makes me sad, and I hear the few times he falters, the notes on the guitar late or his voice catching. As I finish the first section I need to sew on his nightshirt, he is repeating the line, “ _I’m just happy right now that your arms are around me,”_ before interrupting the repetition with, “ _Nothing can prepare us for what life drops at our feet._ ” The line is angered, gritty, and rough, his voice bringing a harsh melancholy to the softness in the way he sang the rest of it, but it dies down as he finishes. I look over at him, eyes wide with wonderment. He’s sitting up now, probably because of the added difficulty laying down brings to singing, and looking down at the details on his shoes. Silence hangs low in the air, until I drop my fabric to my lap and start to applaud him, like I had done before. 

“That was great, Leon!”

“Hmm, really?” he looks at me, eyes squinting as if trying to see if my reaction was genuine. 

Nodding, I halt my claps. “Yeah, you’re good at that.” 

“Thanks, people always said my singing voice was bad. And that’s part of why I believed I could do punk, because you don’t have to really be an astounding singer there to be successful.”

“Whoever told you that was mistaken,” I assert, picking up my needle and fabric, resuming my progress. “It’s really nice to listen to.”

“Sick!” Leon’s temporary dampened mood is now relieved, and I’m glad to see the bright smile return to his charming face. Strumming the guitar again, he starts a new song, and I let it flood my head as I focus on finishing his shirt. After a few more stitches, it is completed, and I move onto the matching bottoms. 

I’m not sure how much time has gone by, or how long his silvery voice has twirled through the air, but the grumbling of his stomach cuts through the notes of his guitar, and that just awakens my own hunger. “Time for lunch!”

Stretching, Leon gets off the bed, leaning the guitar against it precariously. His shirt pulls up to reveal the line of hair leading down from his belly button, which I notice is, in fact, bejeweled with an anodized piercing that shines an array of different colors. I stand up, realizing how close I am to finishing the first set of pajamas. I glance at the imposing lists on the other side of the room, realizing how long this will take me. If I just speed it along, I’m sure I can get most of it done before everyone retires to sleep. I feel a tug on my sweater, and I swivel my head around to see Leon. Our noses graze each other, so he steps back to give me space. For a moment, I just stare at him quizzically before he speaks. 

“Come on, I need food,” He starts walking, fingers still gripping the soft knit sweater I’m wearing. I trip forward as he drags me along, but catch up to him easily as he strides down the hallway. I expect him to let go of my sleeve once I reach his side, but his hand lingers there. “We should have sandwiches. You’re hungry right?” 

“Yeah, sandwiches sound good,” I look down to our hands between us, and he must notice my fascinated gaze because his hand releases my sleeve, somewhat reluctantly. I don’t realize how warm the touch there was until it's gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey! i hope that whoever reads this is enjoying it, i hope this chapter wasn't boring or anything. for me, taka is a hard character to write, since he has such conflicting views on somethings. i really hope i'm not mischaracterizing him at all, its hard to find a middle ground between what he would find unwholesome and what he is okay with. i really like him and just cant seem to write him correctly!!  
> also, the second song that leon sings in this is My Episodes by Off with Their Heads. I really like the lyrics of that song, and i think it will fit really well with the story as it progresses! kinda random, but i wish dangan team had treated us with sayaka singing some songs or maybe leon too as some sort of bonus content, like what Angel Beats did with Girls Dead Monster, or what dr did with nagito for the anime. i really like both of their Japanese voices and it would have been cool if they had some kind of bonus content for the two haha. that wont happen, so listening to Leon's MTB will have to suffice!  
> anyway, thanks for reading! lots of love!


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Valentine's Day!

We reach the dining hall with Byakuya and Celeste inside, at opposite ends of the room. 

“Oh, hello Etsuko,” Celeste’s refined voice calls out to me as she walks over to us. “Leon,” she gives him a clipped greeting before focusing her red eyes on me. “I heard what you were doing for the others, and I am impressed,”

“Really?” I wonder what she was talking about, the breakfast, or the sewing. 

She nods, her drills swaying forward. “Yes, but I wanted to inform you, I won’t need your help.”

Now I know she is talking about the pajamas and undergarments. “Oh, okay then,” I struggle to answer her. There isn’t much else I really know to say, I wasn’t walking around the school seeing what people wanted to request. 

“Okay indeed. Well, I must be off now, I will talk to you later I’m sure.” Celeste gives me a curt wave and trods out of the room. 

“What was that about?” Leon exhales exaggeratedly. 

Shrugging, I move towards the kitchen in the back. “It doesn’t matter,”

We pass Byakuya, who is poised at the windows, hand resting on his chin, glasses pushed high on his nose. He pays us no mind, thankfully. I still am wondering where his plate could have gone this morning, and if he really did find something to suit his tastes in the kitchen. 

Doors swinging shut behind us, we begin to gather what we need to make sandwiches. Leon pulls out a loaf of bread, and a knife. I grab things from the fridge, anything that could be added to a sandwich. 

“Can you get jelly out of there?” Leon asks as he lays out two large empty platters on the island. 

I glance over my shoulder, spotting the large container of peanut butter next to the wrapped loaf. “Yeah,” I find a grape jelly, seedless, and slide it across the counter to where he is laying out different slices of bread. I don’t bother putting away the deli meats and vegetables, deciding to use them for myself. 

“Tiny sandwiches,” Leon says firmly, nodding his head to himself. Repeating it, his voice lowers. “Tiny sandwiches.”

“Tiny sandwiches,” I mime, taking the spot next to him as I look at the assorted sandwich materials. 

“Sweet! You got the jelly I wanted. I’ll cover the pb and j’s, you spot the regular ones.” he instructs me, already spreading peanut butter on an open faced slice. The sticky brown substance smears across the top of the bread, covering the small crevices until they are all hidden from sight. 

Taking my own slices of bread, I set them on my platter, then put a light amount of egg white mayo on one of them. It smooths across, and I am slightly repulsed by the smell. Another slice is spread with mustard, the last of the three remaining empty. Then I put the various toppings on the sandwich, impressed with the large selections of meats and cheese Monokuma had provided. 

“Yours look good,” Leon juts his head in the direction of the condiment adorned slices as I place a new slice on top of one, completing the first stack. Struggling to spread the peanut butter, Leon’s current slice now has several shallow cuts from the knife in it from the times he angled it too sharply. “So, how was sewing?”

“Fun, especially because of your music in the background. I struggle with working with no background noise, specifically with such a repetitive task as sewing, so your singing was a great comfort to me.”

“You talk pretty too, you know. It’s almost weird, how formal some of your sentences are. But it’s still cool.”

My brain focuses on the first sentence he had said, my mind briefly flashing back to the other times he used the word about me. “Well, thanks. I like your way of talking better than my own, actually. Your voice is really nice to listen to as well. And for some reason I still was shocked at the musicality of your singing voice.”

“Wow, really? You liked it all that much? That’s nice to know, cool…” he trails off to bite his lip while stirring a knife in the jelly jar. The sounds of the steel hitting the sides of the glass jar are muffled and short lived before he pulls out the purple jelly covered knife to start spreading his other slices. “Where’d you learn to sew?”

“My mother, before she moved to find a better job. She wasn’t all too good at it, but with enough practice I became alright. A lot of helping repair others' clothing really helped out.”

“So your mom didn’t live with you?”

Shaking my head, I press the last sandwich complete. “My father didn’t either. Both had to leave to join siblings at their jobs. I was too much of a hassle to bring with, and my aunts and uncles didn’t want a little kid fooling around in their homes. So I...boarded with other people in my neighborhood for short times in exchange for my work, when I had to rent out my parent’s place for money. One lovely old lady, Miss Kobayashi, was real sweet to me. She let me come over most of the time, and she let me keep my stuff at her home. Only had me leave when she rented out her spare rooms to other people who needed it.”

“What is she like?”

“She’s the best. I have a closer bond to her than my own mother,” I chuckle, looking over to a preoccupied Leon who is cutting the crusts off his sandwiches. “Always encouraged me and made me go to school, and she always let me borrow her stuff for sewing.”

“She does sound cool,” Leon affirms, then looks confused at my sandwiches. “Cut the crusts off those things.”

“Oh, right,” I live up my knife by the brown crust then slice it off neatly.

“How was school?”

“Sucky, like most schools are, but I’m still kind of grateful I got to go. It let me help the younger kids I knew in their own education. And my friends were nice too, but I don’t think they ever considered me a very close friend. I tried to make them as happy as I could,” I ramble, catching myself. Any worry about judgement from Leon was nonexistent, and a part of me just wanted to ramble on forever. I had to leash myself back. “How was school for you?”

“Sucky,” Leon grins at me. “I didn’t pay attention most of the time, which led to many detentions. I was never the best in school, only baseball. My little cousin, Kanon, went to the same school as me. She’s kind of like an annoying little sister, she even became the team manager of my team, she’s pretty alright.”

“Were you busy there? Catching up on schoolwork?”

“Nah, not at all. I didn’t care about it, so I didn’t do it. The only thing I really had to pay attention to was baseball games, which weren’t even that fun. Being so good at something makes it so boring, every time you do it it's the same. The guys I played with weren’t too fun either. I never went to a single practice, cause that shit is the worst.” He gets more frustrated the more he goes on, his hand wrapping tightly around the knife, knuckles whitening. “I hate baseball, there’s nothing great about it, all I do is win, which is nice, but repetitive. Only kinda good thing is that it makes me popular with all the girls, and it got me into Hope's Peak without havin’ to study, but that part is questionable now.”

“I’m sorry, that does sound rough. You’re not a boring person, so having to do boring things doesn't suit you.”

“Did you do well in school?” Leon asks, looking down proudly at each of the three sandwiches that are now each cut into four smaller pieces. 

I laugh. “I did for a while, but then it all got too stressful for me to catch up. In the end, I had to pull a couple of serious all-nighters to pass. At least my parents weren't really there to press me about my grades.”

“My parents always pressed me about grades and baseball.” Leon huffs. 

“Sorry Leon, that must suck, being nagged about grades.” He nods at my words, and I get the sense he doesn’t want to talk about it anymore. Setting a hand on his shoulder, I give him a gentle look. “I’m glad we’re friends,”

“Hmm?” his frustration turns to shock. “Well yeah, no duh, I’m happy we’re friends too,”

“Are we ready to eat?” I ask, picking up my full platter. 

He picks up his own, anger washed away with a hungry grin. “You bet!”

We leave the kitchen, taking one of the many vacant seats in the dining hall as Togami stays perfectly still by the window, eyes still observing the outside that is blocked off by a massive metal sheet. 

Leon shoves one of the tiny sandwiches in his mouth, ravenous for the sweet flavors held inside the bland slices of bread. With his mouth full, he says, “Woah! These are great!”

When he swallows, he licks his lip, smacking them together impolitely. It bothers me a little, but I keep my complaint inside. “Do you want something to drink?”

“Uhhhh, whatever you think I like that’s in the kitchen would be nice,” Already he has another sandwich between his fingers. Pushing out my chair, I head back to the kitchen, eyes dragging back to Byakuya. I hesitate stepping forward, wondering whether I should try to offer him something. It only takes a moment of debate before I change directions to the taller boy. Noticing my approach, his head turns to look at me and his lips curl. “I was wondering if I could get you something from the kitchen,”

“Hmm?” Byakuya peers down his nose at me, and I shift from side to side, wondering how dumb I must look to him. “Are you trying to make yourself my personal servant?”

His bluntness arouses a giggle from me, but I cut it off, conscious of the fact he’ll make fun of the airy sound. “No, I just wanted to see if I could get you anything is all.”

“I doubt some commoner like you could manage to please my palate,” Byakuya’s blue eyes dart back to the window, lips changing from a grimace to a smirk. “But I will allow you an attempt. Get me some civet coffee.”

“Civet coffee,” I mutter under my breath before Togami shoots me a pointed glare. “I’ll do my best,”

Hurrying into the kitchen, I look around at the fridge and cabinets for the type of coffee mix he was asking for. I’m used to the small grounds in plastic cups, easier to dispose of but a bitch for the environment, but I don’t find one of the automatic boilers that could go with it. 

“Civet coffee, does that mean there’s extra sugar? More cream?” I double check every cabinet and cranny in the room, but don’t find anything bearing the strange name. “Should I just make regular coffee and explain what happened?” I ask myself, but quickly shoo away the idea. “He’ll definitely be all huffy about it. What other options do I have? I could ask Monokuma...but even that’s a questionable decision.”

“Helloooo there!” I hear behind me, and I turn around to see Monokuma now sitting on the kitchen island. I jump back in shock and fear, and scramble to keep my composure. “What did you want from me again? You sure are a fan of lil’ ol’ me, aren’t you?”

“I’m not a fan,” I seethe, it is ridiculous the amounts of times I had relied on this robotic bear to give me an answer or help me out when we were in the middle of a killing game set up by the thing. “But I need to know if you have civet coffee,”

“Of course we do!” Monokuma jumps up, one hand falling behind its back so I can’t see it. “Are you trying to impress that haughty heir out there in the dining hall or somethin’?”

“Not impressing him, I’m just doing him a favor,” I roll my eyes, moving my head to the side to try to get a glimpse of what his paw was doing conspicuously behind his rounded body. 

“And you went so far with this favor to have to ask me about it? Wowee! I’m honored to be a part of what you’re trying to pass off as a minute task!” 

Sighing, I concede that there is no way to get past this bear’s irritating words. “Can I just have the coffee?”

“Sure thing!” The hand sheltered away from my vision suddenly juts out so its pointing towards me, a small black tin now held in its grip. 

Hesitantly, I take it from him, studying the gold logo and drawing of a small animal. I don’t recognize it, but sure enough, the words ‘Civet Coffee’ are etched into the thing. I open the heavy lid, and instead of a premade powder there are actual whole coffee beans inside. Realizing I should have guessed from the noise inside the can that made it sound like a bunch of small things were knocking together, I feel a little foolish assuming that such an esteemed person would use instant coffee. Now I have to find a coffee grinder, or just something in general that will allow me to steep it in water. Surely by now Leon would be wondering where I was gone too for so long. Maybe when I return he will have chowed down on all of the sandwiches and there would be none left for me, not that I would mind. When I look up from the contents of the can, Monokuma has disappeared, so I rush through every cabinet again, this time looking for a coffee grinder. Luckily, it doesn’t take me too long to find the thing, and I place it on the counter, staring at the small black box and the silver steel bowl on top that has a large thing jutting out from it, like a crank. 

Taking a few beans from the can, I spread them along the inside of the bowl, unsure how much I need to grind to have enough for coffee. I figure one small handful is good enough, so I set the still full can to the side and start to crank. It seems useful at first, the grinder in the middle just sort of lightly pushing the beans around, but after some time I hear the sound of it chipping away at a bean, but just barely. Confused, I take another handful and put it in the small dish on top, so I can’t see half of the grinding piece in the middle. This time when I crank, the sound I get sounds more successful than the last one, so I go faster, the grating sound steadily increasing in volume. After one more minute, I check to see if I have enough, pulling the small drawing in the middle of the dark box open to see some grounds. Sadly, it doesn’t look like enough, so I return to my repetitive task, checking and grinding, back and forth, back and forth. Finally, I feel I’ve gotten enough, so I take out the box fully and find a kettle to boil some water in. Making the rest of the drink goes by smoothly, the unmistakable smell of coffee fills the kitchen. Scrunching my nose, I try not to breathe it in too much, it was never something pleasant for me to wake up to when boarding at neighbor’s houses. Usually it signaled a long day of work ahead of the people I knew, when they would need to stay up late into the night just to make a few more dollars for their families. Although, the civet coffee smells a little more fruity than any coffee I had ever encountered. Maybe it is just a rich people thing. Lastly, I look around for something for Leon, pleased to find a neon can printed with the words, ‘energy drink.’ Taking the two caffeinated drinks out of the kitchen, I first head over to Byakuya, his steaming mug clenched tightly in my right hand. It seems he can smell it too, because he turns to face me before I’ve even taken a few steps away from the kitchen. 

“I have your coffee,” I say once I’m only a few steps away from his imposing presence. 

“I could tell,” he scoffs, his eyes trained on the plain white mug I’m holding. “Do you usually give your superiors a beverage in an ugly cup like that? I prefer an actual tea cup.”

“A tea cup to hold your...coffee?” I hold out the mug to him anyway, his attitude already starting to tick me off from the tranquility of my mission in the kitchen. 

With surprising gingerness, he takes the mug from me, staring right down into the drink so there’s a light fog over his glasses. One perfect and thin brow arches across his smooth face before he raises the thick lip of the mug to his pert lips. Intently, I watch for his reaction to the drink that has taken me so long to prepare. When he pulls the mug away from him, no slight change in the judgemental stare of his, I feel a sharp pinch in my leg, and I realize my free hand has been closing in on the thick patch of skin it usually does for some time now. He takes another sip, eyelids fluttering. I still can’t gauge his reaction. 

“Is it any good?” A surprising bitterness has slid into my voice, and the harsh look I receive makes me regret the tone tenfold. “What do you think?”

“It’s fine, surely nothing as grand as when I’ve had it before, make no mistake.” He clears his throat, then sips again patiently. “It’s edible, at least. I’m surprised even someone as lowly as you got your hands on such a delicacy.”

“Well, there’s no need to thank me or anything,” I sigh. Thinking back, it took me at least ten minutes to make this for him, and I really just wanted some thanks in return. 

Bemused, he shakes his head. “It’s not that good,” Then he waves his hand at me, dismissing me. Since there’s no need to keep staring at him, I turn back to where I had left Leon. Seeing that my attention is now finally on him, he gives me a big wave. 

“Yo! What took you so long? And what’s up with you and Byakuya?” Apparently he doesn’t mind shouting across the room for me, and my face heats in embarrassment. 

“Nothing, I was just getting him a drink too,” I say, making sure my voice is loud enough for Byakuya to hear, since his attention was probably caught by Leon shouting his name. My steps are brisk and I plop down into the seat next to Leon, noticing only a few sandwiches left. I place the tall can in front of Leon.“I got you this.”

Picking it up, he smiles when he sees the label on it. “Really? That’s cool as hell, I love this flavor!” He snaps up the can tab, then downs half the drink. “Hell yeah! This shit rocks!” 

“I’m glad you like it,” I nod, picking up one of the small sandwiches and taking a small bite of it. It’s sweet inside, the sticky insides coating the top of my mouth. 

“Yo Byakuya!” I hear Leon call, and I snap to attention, my back straightening at his sudden call. “You hungry or what!”

It really seems like the food has replenished his lively energy from before he had started to play the guitar softly in my room. 

Appearing displeased with the red head’s ruckus, Byakuya just gave him a glare. “Not in particular,” I see his icy eyes flicker down to our lunch. “But I’m especially not in the mood for your common food.”

“But our food rocks the house!” Leon grins gleefully at Byakuya’s contrasting annoyed expression. “You won’t regret it!”

“No, I’m sure I would,” Byakuya sighs, finally having enough of the both of us. Stiffly, he begins to walk along the wall of windows, towards the exit of the dining hall, the white mug still in one hand. At least he isn’t disgusted with the drink enough to discard it like he had done with the pancakes this morning. 

Silver eyes trained on Togami, Leon shoots forward from his seat, sandwich clutched in one hand. Before Togami can escape him, Leon is in front of him, waving the small square in the air tauntingly. “Come on, you know you want it!”

Both of Byakuya’s thin brows twitch, lips curving downward in a deep frown. Just from the look, I can see Leon is past the point of being on thin ice, he is falling down into chilling murky waters. Getting up from my own seat, I head over the two so I can drag Leon away. 

“No,” Byakuya sighs haughtily, free hand raising to fix his dark green blazer. He tries to sidestep the persistent boy, but Leon shuffles to that side to block him again. “Get out of my way,”

Mischief quirks Leon’s lip upward, his eyes widening at the spark of an idea. As Byakuya is about to dig into him some more, Leon shoves the sandwich forward into his mouth. “See, told ya so!”

Byakuya slaps Leon’s hand , which is still trying to shove the sandwich inside. The sound of it echoes in the room, my teeth gritting as I see the small red mark marring the side of Leon’s wrist. Leon’s stinging hand drops, his other hand cradling it. Byakuya spits the sandwich onto the floor, narrowly missing Leon’s platforms. “I don’t receive food from idiots like you,”

“Togami,” I warn him, stepping in between the two and pushing Leon backward softly. My boot squishes onto something, and I wince, knowing it's probably the scattered remains of the sandwich. Chin raising high in the air, he scoffs and walks away, Leon surges forward to go after him but I hold him back with my arm. “I’m going to have to have a stern talk with him later. For someone so refined, he didn’t have to spit  _ and  _ hit you. Jeez,” I remove my boot from the squished slice of bread and piece of lettuce, looking down at the mess Togami has made “I’ll clean this up,”

As I step away to find some napkins, Leon pulls me back on my shoulder, taking me by surprise. Falling backward, I collide onto his torso. “Oh, my bad, sorry. But I can clean this up, don’t worry about it. As much as I hate cleaning, it's my fault,” He helps me straighten myself, and I watch him scramble back into the kitchen to grab something to clean it up. I head back to our table, taking one of the few squares left and biting into it. I have already finished the first one, but that was only one fourth of a regular sized sandwich. Tumbling out of the kitchen, Leon then jogs over to the mess on the floor to wipe it up. He throws the soiled sandwich and paper towel into one of the large trash bins in the room, then sits back down next to me, leg bouncing as he takes a deep sip of his energy drink. I watch a dribble of the blue drink leak down his chin, on its course to stain his white jacket. Wiping the stream away with the back of his hand, the one holding the can cocks it toward me. “Want some? This is the kind of stuff that would get me pumped up for a baseball game! And whenever I was running back to home plate, my energy drink on the dugout would make me go even faster, it was crazy fun!” He laughs, reminiscing, but then halts, the joyous sound abruptly cut off. “No, no! Forget I said any of that! I hate baseball!”

“Oh, uhm,” With no idea what to say, I just thankfully take the drink from him, both hands wrapping around the thin thing. I lift it to my lips, cheeks flushing as I notice his heavy gaze is fixated on me. Whenever it is trained on me so intensely, my heart skips a few beats, but I try to swallow the lump in my throat away as the sweet concoction inside slips into my mouth and down to my stomach. The artificial acids sting my tongue, the light carbonation teasing me. I pull it away before I take another sip. It’s something easy to get hooked on, I know, and it reminds me of the times groups of kids my age would run past me, these types of cans bending underneath their dirt crusted fingernails. Sometimes, they would stop and wave, calling out to me if I was passing them on the street, but they never invited me to join in their late night revelries. Nice kids from what I’d assessed about them. 

Seeing that I am done with my share, Leon takes it back and downs some more, making me doubt that there’s much left. His mouth presses flush with the metal of the can, tongue dipping forward to lick the small puddle of blue liquid gathered in one of the fine indents. “Did you like it?”

“It’s really good,” I nod, fascinated by how just a few glugs of this stuff has already gotten him moving around all at once, leg still bouncing, hand twitching, eyes darting from place to place. “Are you sure you should be drinking all that so quickly? I’ve heard this stuff has tons of caffeine.” 

“You sound like my mom,” he laughs, crisp and clear. “Well, not really quite like her. She would yell at me whenever she caught sight of me buying this stuff, which just made me even more hooked on it, I felt like such a rebel.” 

“I don’t really want to sound like a mom,” I say, wishing I had something to wash away the sugar still stuck to my teeth and tongue. The taste still lingers, and it isn’t something I really want staying there for a while. I could already smell my breath turning sour. 

Leon’s finger circles around the top of the can absentmindedly. “You’re better than a mom,”

“How’s that?” 

Shrugging, Leon looks vacantly at me. “Nicer than one, prettier than one,” 

“Prettier? What, have you never seen a milf before?” I giggle, not expecting to see the confused look on Leon’s face as he tried to guess what in the world a milf was. “Milf as is Mom I’d Like To…” I trail off, suddenly feeling awkward having to explain it, despite the good company I am in that I know tolerates that kind of language.

“Oh? Oh! I know,” Leon’s eyebrows wiggle up and down playfully. “I’m sure I have before, but I still like you better. Have you met one before?”

“Whatever, sorry,” I mumble, wanting to change the subject. Putting that kind of light on the hard working women I grew up around makes me tense up. “I still can’t believe Togami slapped you earlier, you alright?”

Catching on to the change in subjects, Leon holds up his hand, which had returned to its regular pale color. For being a baseball player, he didn’t seem to have gotten tan at all while out in the field. “I’m fine, that guy is just a douche. Being mean even though I was just trying to be nice,” He pouts.

“I saw how you were trying to be nice, but I think you went a little too far with it, trying to shove the sandwich down his throat. He already doesn’t take very well to anything, so just pushing his buttons even more will probably end in some dumb result.” I sigh.

“Yeah, yeah, I’ll apologize to him later if he’s fine with it,”

“I hope he comes to you first for forgiveness, but I doubt that’s the kind of guy he is.”

“It’d be useless for me to apologize too then, I’d probably just get this in return.” Leon stops to clear his throat, then mockingly straightens his jacket like Byakuya had done. One of his hands rises so his index and middle can push at the bridge of his nose, as if glasses were seated upon it. His voice goes down a level, even though Byauya’s voice isn’t all that matured yet. “I don’t accept worthless begging losers like you’s apologies, now go fuck off.”

I start to laugh, imagining the scene where Togami swears so casually. Despite how much of a little bitch he is, I don’t suspect him the type to “stoop down to a commoner’s foul language.” Leon joins in, and my laugher elevates more into a snort, my body starting to ache with amusement.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks so much for reading! i also wanted to give a big thanks for 100 hits! i was so surprised when i saw it, i wasn't expecting anyone to read this! ahhhhh just thank you so so SO much for all those hits, it means the world to me! i hope that everyone who has taken the time to read this has enjoyed, im just so surprised that people are actually checking this out AHHAJSHJFHDSF! i really just cant believe it!


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter is a little on the shorter side, hope you dont mind! im trying to characterize everyone well, sorry if its not perfect! thanks for reading! lots of love <3

We finish the sandwiches, Leon cracking jokes as I eat. We set the platters in the kitchen, then return to my dorm. He heads for the guitar, sitting down on my bed again and kicking off his shoes. Crossing his legs on the mattress, he starts to pluck the strings. I take off my own shoes, pushing the door shut behind me. Returning to where I had been working before, I finish his pajamas, holding them up to make sure there are no defects. I turn around, swinging them through the air and his eyes look upward, his mouth breaking into a grin. 

“You’re finished already?” Leon sets the guitar aside, snatching the pajamas from my hands. Holding the bottoms to his hips, he studies how he thinks they will fit, before picking up the unbuttoned shirt. It’s a simple and plain set, but he looks pleased with them. “Sick! Should I try them on now?” 

“I mean-”

Leon is rushing away to the bathroom of my room already, whooping with exaggerated excitement. “I’m too excited!” 

I turn back from the bathroom door he slams shut behind him. I hear him knock against it a few times in a scramble to pull his clothes off as I start outlining the cuts I need for Chihiro’s requests. As I finish the pin I need, the doorknob jangles, then swings open. Leon prances around the room, striking a few poses in the red pajamas. Giggling, I look him up and down. The bottoms reach just above his knees, and I notice how his calves are toned, which shouldn’t be as surprising as it is to me. He is the Ultimate Baseball Star afterall. Twirling in place, he moves his hands erratically through the air. 

“I look great, I know,” Leon jests, beaming. 

I meet his silver eyes, the corners scrunched up in joy. “An improvement from this morning, that’s for sure,”

His face pinkens, but that’s the only tell of embarrassment on the ecstatic boy. “Thank you so so so much! You must be shitting me! This is so super cool!” He bounds over to my seat, his arms reaching under my arms and picking me up. My weight in his arms, he spins around exuberantly. This surely wasn’t the type of reaction I had been expecting from him, but I laugh along anyway. Strands of loose curly hair fly in front of my face, my skirt lifting from Leon’s momentum. I fear that I might slip, but his arms shift so I’m pressed tightly and securely against him. “Really, I don’t think anyone has done something so nice for me ever dude!” His chest vibrates softly against my own, and my fingers squeeze onto his shoulder, my other hand moving up to tangle the strands of hair at the bottom of his head. 

“That’s hard to believe,” I say as he sets me back down, my skirt riding up against him. Once my arms drop from around his shoulders, I smooth out my skirt, looking up to see his gaze planted fiercely onto my face. “You seem like you’d be popular with people,”

“Hell yeah I am popular with people!” Leon raises his voice further, making me jump. “I mean, when you’re as amazing at baseball as I am, surely a bunch of girls are going to be fawnin’ over you! Afterall, I am a baseball god!”

“I-I know, that’s why I don’t believe that this is one of the nicest things someone has done for you.”

“Well, nothing was like this, all handmade and personal. You really care about me, huh?” Leon grins, eyes closing all the way. 

His last sentence causes me to blush with embarrassment, and it takes me a moment to find the words to respond. “Yeah, of course I do Leon. I care about you a lot.”

“Glad the feelings are mutual then! And I know you like me more than just the fact I’m the best at baseball, so that’s a relief.” He lets out a slow sigh. “And you don’t make fun of me either,”

I cock my head to the side, concerned by his words. “Do a lot of people make fun of you?”

“I mean, the guys on my team did, because I hate baseball and I changed my style and all that. You wouldn’t believe how many people told me to shave my hair over breaks. And my own mom scolded me really badly when she saw all my piercings, saying I would regret them,” Leon runs a hand through his hair before turning away to go back to the bathroom. “I’m going to change out of this thing,”

Lips pressed into a thin line, I go back to my project, cutting the fabric in the designated pieces. Something is irritating him, nipping at him whenever he starts to get giddy. It pains me to see the line of anger that appears at his temple occasionally, and I only hope that I’m not the cause of it. Doubt seeps into me, telling me I had done something horribly wrong to hurt him at each of his highs, despite the soft moment we had just shared. When I hear the sounds of him exiting the bathroom, I stay focused on the cloth in my hands, knowing it would be unbearable to see any trace of anger on his expression. 

“Etsuko, I like your earrings,” I feel a soft touch around the back of my ear, where a small cuff is curled around it, a small chain connecting it to the stud on my lobe. My neck heats up in embarrassment, and the touch is gone just as swiftly as it had arrived. 

“Thank you,” I fumble over the simple words. “You have so many, and they all look so pretty on you,”

“Oh man, you’re really genuine about that, huh,” Leon chuckles, his shadow appearing over my shoulder as he leans down. “My dad said he would get rid of ‘em for me. But I would never let an old guy boss me around. My coach disapproved of them too, actually,”

I feel one of the pins pierce my skin, and it takes me a moment to remove the sharp pressure from the pad of it. “That’s silly. They’re just jealous of how handsome you are,”

“Now I’m scared you’re trying to mock me,” I can imagine the right corner of his mouth twisting upward as he spoke. 

“No,” I reassure him, “I wasn’t,”

“Phew! Good. It’s pure-hearted girls like you that I like. Sayaka is one of them too. Have you seen her around? She didn’t show up at breakfast either. I kind of wanted to impress her too,” he laughs, his fingers curling around my shoulder, shaking it while I work, my hand turning unsteady. “At least I impressed you, right? You think I’m cool as hell,”

“You are indeed cool as hell,” I joke, but regret it when I realize how mocking that sounded. Even after he just showed me how much he didn’t want to be mocked. 

The hard look he gives me burns the side of my face as he returns to my bed, taking the guitar back in his hands. “I really am, huh?” he sighs, beginning to play the guitar again. It sounds awfully melancholy, but I smile at the sound anyway. 

Soon enough, I have completed Chihiro’s set, and have started outlining the pattern for Taka’s, the pace of my work increasing as I fall back into the rhythm of it. Leon is still plucking at the guitar, every so often singing a line before reworking it. I can hear him scrawl something against a pad of paper, the guitar notes stopping as the led scratches against paper. “How does this sound?” Leon asks, and I look up to his nervous face. 

Clearing his throat, he starts, “ _ You’re so cool- _ ”

“You better be singing about me!” a voice interjects Leon’s, and we both look to see Hiro grinning in the doorway. 

“What if I am?” Leon laughs, but still looks a little agitated with the interruption, lip twitching. 

“What are you doing here, Hiro?” I ask, standing from my chair to walk over to him. 

Hiro waves at me, still beaming. “I wanted to check up on your progress on the underoos!”

“Underoos,” Leon and I repeat in unison, and Leon follows it up with, “Jinx! You owe me a soda Etsuko!”

“Yeah, so how's it going?” Hiro nods, and I lead him into the room, gesturing at my progress, then looking down at the paper he gave me earlier with his measurements. His handwriting is a mess, and I can’t help but question some of the numbers, having not looked over them earlier. 

“Hiro, I apologize, but these numbers don’t seem...right…”

“Well, I was havin’ a little trouble with it, maybe that’s why!” he grins making me giggle at his silliness, reminded of the sight of him getting wrapped up like a mummy in the tape measure.

“I should have helped you out more, sorry,” I say gently, slipping a tape measure into my hand. “I’ll just do it for you again, if you don’t mind, to get them right,”

“Yup! Sorry ‘bout that!”

I feel a pointed gaze burn into my back as I measure Hiro’s shoulders. 

“Take off your jackets for me,”

Obedient, he shrugs them off, and they fall gingerly to the ground. I smooth the fabric of his yellow henley, now able to take the proper measurements. Next I move it around his chest, pushing his arms upward so I can get under them. He smells strongly of cologne, and it tickles my nose. 

“Why are you measuring my boobs, man?” Hiro jokes as I wrap the tape around his bust the second time. 

“They’re so big, I was shocked,” My voice rings monotone, and the burning I feel on the side of me increases, so unbearable that I look over to see Leon, whose eyes are narrowed. “What?” Hiro is laughing, his chest shaking under the tape. My hands squeeze it tighter as he talks again. 

“Don’t worry, I’m not doing anything bad to your girlfriend!”

“You better not touch her,” Leon rolls his eyes, then begins to play his guitar, leaning over to turn the volume up so it’s obnoxious, and he knows it. 

I take the tape away from Hiro. “He’s an entire grown man, Leon, there’s no need to worry.”

Hiro nods, and I lean down to take his waist measurements. They’re more narrow than I expected, different than the toned muscles I can see faintly beneath his rustic yellow sleeves. Heart leaping into my throat, I try to shake off the fact Leon didn’t say anything about the girlfriend comment. I can’t tell if Hiro is serious about it, so I look up at his smiling face. 

“As far as I know, Hiro, I’m not anyone’s girlfriend. Unless of course…” I tease and raise my voice, but don’t look over to the grumpy boy playing guitar.

Leon shouts, his voice irritated but holding some humour, “Shut up,”

“That’s surprising,” Hiro remarks as he moves his legs apart. He wears baggy pants, so it’s a little difficult for me to wrap the tape around. But I’m not about to request him to take them off. 

“I like your pants,” Some of the fabric sticks out in front of me as I wrap the tape around, and I murmur the number before releasing him. “How so?”

He shrugs, sparing me some embarrassment as he lightly says, “You are always together when I see you, so I just figured. I even predicted it, that you two are dating. And you know my success rate, right?”

“30 percent correct,” I smile, checking over my small piece of paper with his name on the top of it. “Guess you were wrong this time,”

“Heh, my last two predictions were wrong, and one out of three should be right...maybe my math is just wrong,”

One of my blocky brows raises. “Maybe it is.” I know it isn’t, but I don’t bother with trying to say otherwise. “I got your measurements, so if you want you can double check which fabric you want,”

“Sweet,” he walks over to the fabrics, vaguely pointing at one of them. “This is the best one!” The fact that he’s ended up pointing back at the one he had chosen earlier makes me laugh. 

“Of course,” I nod, scrawling down a smiley face after ‘underoos.’ “Sounds good.”

“You two wouldn’t mind if I hung out with you, right?” Hiro rubs over the spot under his nose. I shake my head as a reply, heading back over to my work area. “Sweet,” he repeats the word again, and plops down to Leon’s side, who is still strumming his guitar messily. “Woah, is that a song you got there?” Hiro picks up the paper Leon had been writing on before. 

Snatching it from him, Leon nods. “Yeah, but you can’t read it all yet,”

“Who ya writing about?”

“You can guess. She’s cool as hell, and got the best talent here. I love everything about her, she’s just so cool. And I bet she’ll like me too, unless she doesn’t like other musicians. I want to sing a duet with her, but I don’t know if she does punk. Wait...should I even sing punk then? Maybe I should do pop...what pop songs do I know?” his voice turns soft and contemplative, as if speaking more to himself at the end. 

“Oh, so you are writing something for Sayaka! I bet she’ll love it, man!”

“Really?” Leon’s voice turns excited, like this is the best news he could ever be told. I can imagine his face lighting up, eyes widening and lips splitting into a large, roaring grin. If I were looking, I don’t think I would be able to take the pure joy and excitement held in him. 

“Well, yeah! Who wouldn’t love a song written about them?”

Leon’s necklace jangles a little. The small pin I’m using to outline the shapes drawn into the fabric is pushed flush against my finger, the point of it digging in until I realize that I’ve halted my progress. I pull it away, and return to my task, fingers numb yet nimble. 

“What do you like about punk?” Hiro asks. “The look suits you well, but what got you into it?”

“This might sound stupid, but there’s this girl I know at home,” his voice turns soft and fond. “She’s got a really cute look to her. I met her at this hair salon, and I asked her out. She’s got a smokin’ hot body, for sure, and I was thinking, I gotta get me some of that!”

Turning around in my chair, I stare at the enthused Leon.

“I really wanted her to be my girlfriend, the real deal! And she told me she only dated musicians, and when I started to sing to other people, like my parents or coach, they all told me I’m not good enough.” 

My brows raise at his words. He’s a good singer. 

“So I went into punk, because you don’t have to be all that good of a voice for it. Plus, the people who like that genre are all so cool! I went back and dyed my hair at that salon to impress her, but she said I wasn’t good enough. So I’m going to become the Ultimate Punk Musician! Well, now that I like Sayaka, maybe I should see what she’s into…”

“I’ve seen pop idols date musicians all the time, I don’t think you gotta worry!” Hiro reassures, and Leon notices my gaze, turning away to look at me. 

“What’s up Etsuko?”

“Is that what you base who you want to date on?” I ask, tilting my head to the side.

He appears just as confused as I am. “What?”

“Do you just want to date that girl because of her body?”

“I mean, yeah, I know it’s a little shallow, but she seems cool too!” Leon raises his fists, still grinning. 

I shake my head. “I think part of the reason she didn’t date you is because she had no idea who you were. Maybe if you just got to know her better a little, she would have been your girlfriend,”

“Well, it’s different now!” Leon nods, looking a little frustrated with me. One of my hands drops down to my thigh, giving it a small pinch. “I really like Sayaka, she’s really cool. As soon as I saw her, I knew. I really admire her, too…”

“I don’t doubt that,” I stand, moving so I am close enough to place a hand on Leon’s shoulder. “But no person just wants to be dated just because you want their body,”

“I know,” Leon looks a little ashamed of his words. “Sorry,”

“I don’t need any apology,” I sit down next to him. “Play the song you wrote for Sayaka, test it out on us. We’ll see who falls in love with you from it,”

His wide grin cracks through his temporary sullenness, his eyes nearly shutting all the way. Handing the page of lyrics to Hiro so the other boy can hold it out as he reads it, he starts, the guitar messy, but peaceful. 

“ _ You’re so cool,”  _ he finishes the earlier line, “ _ And I wonder, am I cool too? Do our smiles match under the sunlight? Does your hand fit in mine? Going to sleep, I can’t help but wonder, if you’re wondering about me too. I wonder if my eyes appear, when your eyes are shut and closed. If your heart skips a beat when I’m near. Because I know, I know, that I like you, but do you like me too?”  _ His hands over the guitar struggle to keep up with his fast paced singing, and I sway a bit to his song. It’s delightfully apparent that he had just written this in the past hour. Bumbling over a few lyrics and chords, he continues. Overall it’s nice to see him so into the song. His head sways back and forth as he sings, his voice at first meek and nervous to share, but eventually turning into something loud and proud when Hiro and I continue to listen intently. When he finishes, we both clap, our hands fluttering back and forth as he stands to bow to our round of applause. 

“So, have either of you fallen in love with me yet?”

“Not me,” Hiro says. 

Leon looks to me, expecting my answer. Pondering, I stare back at him. If he had serenaded me with an original song, I most definitely would have. His lyrics were a little funny, but I could tell they came from his heart. If they were directed at me, I would be on top of him in an instant. But they aren’t. And they won’t ever be. Because surely when Leon plays this for her, she will fall for him. My voice falters when I finally speak. “Yup, most definitely have,”

He flushes, grinning, “So when Sayaka hears this, she’ll be head over heels?”

“That’s what I think,” I affirm, getting up to go back to sewing. “It needs a little more practice though,”

He nods, starting the song up again, except it’s slowed down. Eventually, I hear Leon sigh and set the guitar down, and he starts a conversation with Yasuhiro. I pull the thread through Taka’s clothes, their voices drowning out in the back of my mind. 

“I’ve always wanted to get a real girlfriend,” I hear Leon say, somehow they’ve returned to the topic. “Getting a girlfriend and treating her right is the real passion of a man’s life. I’ve had small things with girls before, but nothing ever lasted very long,”

“I’ve never had a girlfriend before,” Hiro sounds disappointed. “I’m horrible with the ladies,”

“I can’t wait to get a real one, that’s all, I’d give anything for that,” Leon sighs. I chuckle, which must bring their attention to me, because Leon then asks, “have you ever had one Etsuko?”

“No,” I admit, not looking back towards him. “I wanted one for a while though,”

“You don’t want one anymore?”

“I guess I’ve come to terms that eventually I’ll meet someone I’d like,” I shrug. 

“You haven’t met someone yet?”

“I don’t know,”

“Hmm, a boy wouldn’t be bad either. Not sure how my parents would react though. They’ve always been kind of...conventional.”

“A boy, huh?” Hiro repeats.

“Yeah? What? Gotta problem?” Leon becomes defensive, and I look to see his panicked expression. A vein appears at his temple, strained. 

Hiro shakes his head fervently, “No, of course not, my mom is one of those too. Dudes, dudettes, whatever, I don’t think it mattered after my dad left,”

“Okay,” Leon sighs in relief. “Don’t get me wrong though. I still hate all the sweaty guys on my baseball team. Smelly people are the worst,”

“Hey, don’t say something like that in front of Hiro,” I joke, the two boys' voices raising to laugh with me. 

Hiro’s laughter is cut short. “I don’t smell that bad, dude!”

“You should at least take a shower,” Leon suggests, and I hear Hiro huff. 

He crosses his arms, his back curling out like a frustrated little kid. “My mom loves me just the way I am, I don’t have to change a thing!”

“I’m sure she does, most everyone’s mother does, from what I know,”

Craning my head around, I give Leon a confused look. For the past hours, I had been hearing how he had been made fun of, disapproved of, but his mother has to love someone as sweet as him, right? “Your mother doesn’t?”

“She’s one of the people begging me to continue to play baseball, and she doesn't like the way I am. So I don’t think she loves me very much. If she does, she doesn’t show it,” Leon frowns, lips pressing into a thin line. 

“She’s a fool then, like those others who were mean,” I nod along with my words. “You’re so pretty, but I’ve already told you that. Worth telling you again.”

Leon’s eyes flicker to me, a ghost of a smile twitching at his lips. “Thanks,”

“I’ll tell you that everyday if it’s necessary,” I focus back on the needle clamped between my fingers, shoving any thoughts arising in my mind about the small object.

“Etsuko…” Leon says, his voice staggering and turning light, breathy. “Thanks,”

I nod. 

“So do you think Sayaka will be your first real girlfriend?” Hiro asks, and they return to talking about the girl. 

Leon’s voice is dreamy, “I hope so,”

By the time I have finished Taka’s pieces, they’ve moved on from girls and others to talking about all the ridiculous conspiracy theories Hiro has indulged in learning about. Trying to follow along, all of Leon’s words just sound confused and lost. I’m grabbing Taka’s things and finding a small bag to put them in when Hiro’s stomach makes a loud noise in the middle of his sentence. It’s even louder and longer than Leon’s stomach growl was before. 

“Ahhh man, we gotta go!” Hiro shoots up from the bed, and Leon follows suit, although not as fast. “I’m starving!”

“Wait for me, I’ll be ready in a sec,” I tie a small thing around the green bag for Chihiro, figuring I can give the two their things at dinner. It’s been a while since lunch, but I still can’t really gauge the exact time of day, I had realized earlier that the clock in my room was stuck. I walk over to them, and we all are ready to set off. 


	12. Chapter 12

Hiro leads the way to the dining hall, Leon and I trailing behind him. The two small bags I have packed Chihiro and Taka’s things in swing back and forth as I rush to catch up to the boys. Nearly tripping over myself in the rush to the dining hall, I don’t realize Leon ahead of me has stopped, and I’m about to ram into his back before Hiro calls my name. 

“Etsuko! Be careful dude!” 

His words snap me out of my run just in time for me to swerve and stop at Leon’s side, following his gaze to the swish of blue hair entering the kitchen. I immediately recognize the dark color as Sayaka’s locks, and I understand why Leon has halted so abruptly. 

“Don’t you want to join her in there? Come on, let’s go see what’s up!” I tug on his sleeve, dragging him forward to where Hiro is jogging in place halfway across the room. Leon’s eyes are fogged over, a dreamy expression on his face. I mutter, “I know she’s pretty, but you gotta get back to normal.”

Hiro is pushing open the door for me to walk through, and my hand is still having to tug Leon along. As we pass by, Hiro bows. “Ladies,”

Somehow, that is what makes Leon snap out of his trance, and he rights himself, his arm falling out of my hand as he reaches up to playfully punch Hiro’s double jacketed shoulder. “Come on man, we all know Etsuko is the manliest out of us, pay them some respect!”

“You’re right, sorry Etsuko,” Hiro nods at me, and big smiles break out on each of our faces at our dumb exchange. 

“Hey Makoto, hey Sayaka,” I look away from the two boys to see the other pair looking at us strangely. “Can we join you? Hiro suddenly got super hungry and ran over here, so sorry if we’re intruding.”

“No, don’t worry about it!” Makoto assures, leaning down to pull out a large metal bowl. “We were thinking of making some soba, can you guys help?”

“Soba sounds yummy. I don’t know how much these two will be able to help, but I’ve made this before so I think I can be of some use,” I shrug, setting down my two bags so I can open the fridge to get out a carton of eggs. They sold soba noodles at the local convenience store, and it was a regular and fast meal for me to prepare, second only to ramen. 

A sharp nudge in my side makes me nearly drop the long carton I’m pulling out of the fridge. Looking over, I see Leon giving me an apologetic face, probably realizing what he had done. “My bad! But you can’t say that I wasn’t vital to this morning’s pancakes,”

“Sorry, you’re totally right,” I nod, turning around carefully and placing the carton down before Leon can cause me to drop them for real. “You were the best this morning, no joke,”

“You guys had pancakes?” Sayaka asks, holding the bowl Makoto had pulled out under the faucet. There’s a slight tremor running through her arms as the water climbs up the sides of the bowl. 

“Yup!” I grin. Then, I lean up close to Leon’s ear to whisper to him, “Go help her out with that bowl,”

“Will do!” Leon respods, then rushes over to take the bowl from Sayaka. His face flushes darker the more time he spends with her, and eventually they switch places, with Sayaka leaning up against the counter to entertain whatever Leon has started rambling about. 

Still standing helplessly at the door, Hiro is glancing around for something to do.

“Hiro, can you find green peppers for me?” I ask, and his dark eyes light up at the chance to help out. 

“Of course dude!” It’s a sight to see as he starts walking one direction then changes to go the other, having no idea where to go.

Pointing to the crates of fruit and vegetable lining one of the walls, I say, “They’re right there,”

“Ahhhh, thanks!” Hiro laughs it off, then walks in the right direction over to the vegetables, leaning down and examining each for the right one. 

By now Leon has set down the big bowl of water, and it’s now on the stovetop preparing to boil. I realize I should probably be starting on the eggs, so I look up to find a frying pan to ready them in. When I think I’ve found the one that would do the job, I go on my tip-toes trying to reach it, but it’s no use, my fingers barely reach to graze the pan. Seeing my struggle, Makoto tries to help, but we’re around the same height so his attempt is just as useless. Hagakure, the tallest one in the room, is heading over with a green pepper in each hand, looking immensely proud of himself. 

“Hiro, I need your help, can you get this down for me?” He’s well over half a foot taller than me, but he still is struggling to get it down from the hook it’s placed on. When he tries to slip it off the hook, he can’t push it high enough for it to come off. “Maybe with our added heights we can get it down!”

Hiro nods, offering his hands out to lift me up with. Stepping in front of him, I feel his hands grab underneath my armpits, then he raises me in the air. His hands dig into my sides, his grip strengthening the higher he lifts me. He gets me high enough that I’m staring straight ahead at the silver rack above. Easily, I take off the pan, and he sets me down gently. 

“Thanks Hiro!” I hold out a fist to him.

He bumps my fist happily. “No problem! You’re not even that heavy!”

“Uh, thanks I guess? Did you expect me to be heavier or something?” I pinch myself on my leg, unsure what he is trying to say. The time Leon had picked me up, I had been spared from a comment about my weight, and I knew Hiro had no bad intentions, but I didn’t want to be embarrassed in front of the others. I set the pan on the island. 

“Don’t you girls all weigh a ton? Even more than us guys!?” Hiro leans forward, peering at my face suspiciously. 

“No, we don’t Hiro,” Sayaka interjects firmly, a serious look on her face. 

Leon shrugs, looking over his shoulder at us, one brow perked. “Etsuko’s body may be bangin’, but she barely weighs a thing!”

I see Makoto stiffen next to me, probably suffering a similar awkward reaction. Heat flashes across my neck to my face. “Thanks Leon,” Looking down at myself, I press my legs closer together, hoping they can somehow shrink under Hiro’s now intense scrutiny. 

“Hmmm, yeah I agree, pretty girl!” Hiro gives me a thumbs up.

“Told ya!” Leon turns back to his conversation with Sayaka. 

The water in the pot now is bubbling at the top, both Makoto and I notice so we both rush over to where Leon and Sayaka aren’t paying attention. Makoto rips open the cheap plastic bag of noodles, dropping them in the pot, the water splashing back up and hitting my cheek. 

I make a noise close to a hiss in pain, rubbing the water away. Hearing my noise, Makoto looks at me, concern twisting his brow. “You okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine, just a little water,”

“I’m lucky none of it got on me,” Makoto chuckles, taking the wooden spoon he had taken out and stirring the noodles that are gradually softening in the intense heat. 

I take the chance to prepare the eggs, they sizzle against the heat and the butter I had spread against the bottom of it. “Hiro, could you do me a favor and grab some pepper and some rice wine vinegar?”

Hiro nods, but stands still, expecting something from me. I stare back in response. 

“Where?” he blurts out finally.

I shrug, looking back at the eggs. “I’m sure it’s somewhere around here, it’ll be labeled when you find it.”

Eventually Hiro brings the things I requested back, and I make the mistake of requesting him to cut the green peppers. In the end, I am the one cutting the green pepper into smaller pieces and he is watching the eggs for when the whites are done cooking. As my knife slices down onto the cutting board, I overhear a little bit of Leon’s excited voice. I can’t help but notice the added enthusiasm in it that I don’t remember hearing the times we talked. 

“...that’s one of my favorite things about you!” he cheers, and I can hear the smile leaking into his sweet words. 

Sayaka’s response is hesitant. “Well, what do you do as a baseball star?”

Her words make me look up from my peppers, and I fear that the vein will pop out on Leon’s forehead like I’ve seen it do when he’s agitated. Not surprisingly, his face has reddened, and I can see the vein on his temple. His hand turns to a fist against the counter. I feel the cool blade of the knife brush my hand, and my gaze whips back to see that my hand has not been marred. Thankfully. 

“I’ve never really enjoyed baseball,” his words come out flat, it’s clear he’s restraining his anger. “Man, I must seem like such a lazy butt compared to your hard work…”

“No, not at all!” Sayaka reassures, laughing a little to ease the tension between them.

The conversation carries on, Leon cracking small jokes.

“Hey, Sayaka, can you do me a favor and feel my shirt?” 

“Huh? Sure, but why?”

My eyes flicker upward to see Sayaka reluctantly touching her hand against the skull design on Leon’s t-shirt.

“Can you guess what it’s made of?” Leon prods, and Sayaka just looks helplessly confused. Then her face lights up again, her perfect features nearly glowing. 

She nods. “I’m guessing it’s made out of boyfriend material!”

“H-how’d you know!?”

“I told you, it’s cause I’m-”

“Psychic,” they say at the same time, both of them giggling. 

Before I look back at the last bit of green pepper left, I see Makoto is also looking at the two, leaning the side of his head closest to them over slightly to listen to their banter. 

When we finish mixing together all the ingredients, everyone gets their own bowl. I take my portion last, taking only half as much as can fit inside the bowl. There’s one egg for everybody who helped prepare it, and Hiro is gazing longingly at the last one meant for me. When he sees me approach it, he tears his eyes away and tries to pass it off as sudden disinterest. 

“Hiro, I don’t think I want my egg, do you wanna take it?” I offer, a smile on my face when I see a huge grin appear on his own.

“Really? Thanks so much dude!” Hiro punches my shoulder and scoops the egg onto his plate, his soba now adorned with two sunny side up eggs. As we walk out of the kitchen, he’s already shoving it into his mouth. 

Leon is waving his free hand through the air emphatically as Sayaka and Makoto listen to whatever he’s saying, and they all sit at the closest table. Hiro slouches down next to Leon, and I squeeze between the ravenous guy and Makoto. With the lack of manners Hiro eats with, it’s hard to believe he’s a couple years older than us, in his twenties. His lips smack as he chews, and I edge closer to Makoto, who is politely chewing on his food. He takes a bunch of noodles between his chopsticks and gobbles them up, his cheeks flushing. 

“How’s your day been Makoto?” I ask, wrapping some of the noodles around my chopsticks. 

Makoto looks up at me, swallowing before answering. “It’s been fine, I just hung out with Sayaka for most of it. It was good to get my mind off of everything for a bit,”

“Yeah,” I affirm. 

“What were you up to?”

The soba is warm in my mouth, and the green pepper is squished between my teeth. It’s tasty, and I resist the urge to take another mouthful before I talk. “Leon and I hung around the dorms. It was really nice, Leon played the guitar and sang, he’s actually pretty good.”

“You and Leon were together?” Sayaka says, looking away from Leon who has paused his rambling. 

“Yeah, we were, and then Hiro joined after lunch.” the red head adds, a bit of yellow yolk smeared across his lip. “Etsuko is actually making pajamas for people, I already got mine. She’s cool as hell with a needle and some thread. We pretty much just stayed in her room doing that all day. But, holy hell, you won’t believe what happened during lunch! You know that Togami guy-” he jumps into the story about how Byakuya had slapped him, and Sayaka pays him keen interest. 

“Etsuko, could you make me something?” Makoto asks, his voice meek. 

I nod, “Yeah, of course, whatever you want, I’m sure I can pull something together. You’ll just have to swing by my dorm sometime so I can get your measurements. I’m glad about it actually, being able to prove my talent useful here.”

“I see. I’ll come by later.” Makoto returns to his food. 

“You’re not going to be overworked are you?” Hiro says suddenly, eyebrows knit.

Looking at him, I point to his cheek, which has the sauce in the soba wiped across it. “I’ll be fine. You’ve got something right there.”

“Here?” Hiro moves to wipe at his mouth and cheek, but I grab his hand before he can.

“I’ll get you a napkin, so you don’t get your sleeve dirty,”

I enter the kitchen alone, quickly finding some napkins the whole table can share. Sayaka had done us a favor and grabbed us all water bottles earlier, so I didn’t have to worry about getting my own glass. As I’m walking out, the door slams into my face, pain shocking from my nose to the rest of my head. 

“Ow!” I yelp, tripping away from whoever had pushed the door open. I rub at my nose that stings with pain, whimpering. 

“Etsuko! Are you hurt?” I hear Taka’a voice above me, and I look up to see his concerned face peering down at my watery eyes. “Oh no, were you behind that door?” 

“Yeah.” I moan, realizing that I could probably grab something like an ice pack from the fridge, so I set the napkins down. Taka sees me start to look at the fridge and rigidly walks over to it and opens the freezer part, the cold air inside making goosebumps appear on my legs. My hands wipe beneath my nose, liquid smearing across my pale fingers. I look down, seeing a bright pink painted across it. My eyes widen. Red hot embarrassment flashes through me. 

Handing me a frozen pack of peas, Taka’s eyebrows curl upward, his lips downturned. “I am so sorry! I had no intention of hitting you!” His red eyes flicker down to my raised hand. “Are you bleeding?”

“Yeah,” I sniffle, the steely tang of blood filling my nose. 

“I will retrieve a towel for you then!” Taka hurries away, and I press the frosty bag on my nose, careful that it doesn’t touch near my pink stained nostrils. I feel something drip down onto my wavering top lip. When Taka returns in front of me, he has a kitchen towel in one hand, and a clump of paper ones in the other. Gingerly, he presses the paper towels beneath my nose, wiping softly at the blood that has fallen onto my lips. I take the cloth towel from him, using it as a barrier between the piercing cold bag of peas and my numbing palm. “Again, I would like to ask for your forgiveness,” He bows his head, his fingers still gently smoothing the paper towel over my nostrils and mouth. 

I want to say that I forgive him and that it’s fine, but his thumb is still wiping at the blood on my mouth, so I take his wrist and move it away. “It’s all fine. It’s barely anything. Just forget any of this happened, alright?” He nods hesitantly, and I turn to the bags I remember I had left in the kitchen, grabbing the one meant for Taka. Tossing it at him, I say, “For you,”

“Oh, already?” Taka opens it and looks inside, grinning back at me after glancing at the contents. “Thank you so much! I owe you something!”

“Nah, it’s really nothing, don’t worry about it,”

“Surely it must have taken you a good amount of time!” He insists, but I just shake my head. 

“I’m the Ultimate Seamstress, so it was like nothing for me,” I take the stained paper towel still held in one of his hands and wipe at the last of the dripping blood until the spot under my nose proves clean. “Thanks for helping me out, you gonna get some soba?” 

Setting the frozen peas back in the freezer, I watch him walk over to the soba bowl that still has quite an amount left inside. “This smells delicious! I’d love to have some!”

“Then go ahead,” I leave the kitchen, grabbing the napkins and Chihiro’s bag on my way out. When I return to the table, it doesn’t seem like anyone is suspicious of the long time I took in there. Setting the napkins down, I take my seat again. “Here you go,”

“Thanks dude!” Hiro eagerly wipes at the sauce on his face. Makoto takes some as well, saying a small thank you. 

Returning to my food, I finish it quickly. Leon is still blabbering to Sayaka, who now looks a little bored with him. I frown. Standing up, empty bowl in one hand, she says, “I’m going now, I’ll talk to you later. Makoto, would you like to join me?”

“In a second,” Makoto slurps up more of his noodles, and Leon is looking at him with pleading eyes. It takes Makoto a moment to register what the boy wants, but eventually he figures it out and asks, “You wanna come Leon?”

“You for real? Sure! That’d be cool as hell!” Leon stands up too, swiftly taking Sayaka’s bowl and rushing off to return it to the kitchen. When he comes back, his silver eyes flicker down to me for a moment. “I’ll see you later alligator!”

“Uhm, for a while, crocodile?” I guess, and his grin widens. 

“You got it!”

As soon as Makoto finishes, he looks nervously back and forth between the eager Leon and Sayaka and his drained bowl. 

“I can take it for you Makoto, go on with them,” I say, gently wrapping my hands around his empty bowl. 

Makoto nods, standing to walk over to the duo. “Thanks, Etsuko!”

The three head off, leaving me and Hiro alone. I look at him, and he’s still slurping away at his food. Soon enough, someone sits down next to me. 

“May I join you two?”

I look over to see Taka, and nod my head. I don’t want to deny him a seat at our near empty table. He starts to eat, his manners impeccable, a small relief when on the other side of me is the equivalent of a starved pig. Eventually, the door swings open, and a short girl enters. I pick up my bag, walking over to her casually. Seeing my approach, Chihiro briefly looks a little panicked. 

“I got your stuff right here,” I say, handing her the bag. She doesn’t bother to open it, instead her face flushes and she bows, wishing me thank you. Walking back to the table, I see Hiro running into the kitchen. When he returns, he sees my strange look and explains, “Seconds.”

Eventually, I bid the pair goodbye and return to my room alone, sighing as I look down at the remaining requests. Junko must still be waiting for hers, and I feel a little bad for putting hers off when she was only the second to ask. And she had been so quick to give me her measurements. Quickly, I start tracing the outlines for her things, still making sure everything is nice and neat. It’s a repetitive, boring task, and I immediately miss the sound of Leon's voice and his guitar in the background. My room is dead quiet, so even if Leon was playing outside, I wouldn’t hear a thing thanks to the sound proof rooms. Even Hiro’s voice would be more pleasant than the blank fuzziness between my ears. Since there is no sound, my thoughts drag me under until I’m lost under a wave of doubts and dizziness. Intrusive, violent ideas pass through my mind, and I try to wash them out by remembering the sound of Leon’s voice wishing me good morning, or the happiness in it as he sung the song he had written about Sayaka. The tenderness it held while comforting me last night. The playful tone he used when speaking to me while making breakfast. The genuine kindness that slipped out when he complimented me. As I replay our conversations in my mind, I feel my muscles ease, and I slump back in my chair. His voice is off and faint in my head, but it is enough to pull me away from the hurricane of fear that wants to succumb me. Soon enough, I have finished Junko’s request, and push it to the side as I begin on Mondo’s. Needle halfway pushed through the fabric, I startle when there is a soft dinging at my door. Setting my work down, I hurry to the door, pleased to see Makoto on the other side. He must be here to be measured. 

“Hi,” he says, and I welcome him inside, leaving the door open to ease any tension he might be feeling. “What do I do?” he’s far enough inside to pick up one of my tape measures. 

“Wrap it around here,” I instruct him, writing down the numbers he tells me. We make small talk as he wraps it around the various places I point at. He informs me that Leon is nearly interviewing Sayaka about all her achievements, and begging her to join his band. Despite our conversation, he still listens to me exactly, and I tell him to write down what he wants and to pull aside the fabric he prefers. Then, he leaves, and I go back to sewing Mondo’s things. Once I’m done with it, I pack his things in a small bag, thinking it funny that he also wanted me to make something for him to wrap his hair in too. Just to tease him, I had picked out a soft floral fabric for the extra request. Yawning, I realize I should go deliver their things before it’s too late. 

A wrap softly on Junko’s door, staring at the pixel version of her in front of me. When it’s been a moment, I knock, a little harder. Then, I remember about the sound proof rooms, and tap the small doorbell next to the doorframe. Again, there’s no answer, so I tap it a couple more times, realizing it must be annoying on the other side. Finally, the door whips open, and Junko leans down to meet my height, brow twisting upward as she smiles. 

“Sorry ‘bout that! I forgot about the whole ‘sound proof’ wall thing! I was busy calling out to you before I realized you couldn’t hear me!”

“Yeah, no problem.” I nod, stepping away from her, intimidated by how close her beaming face is to mine. The slight scent of some expensive perfume wafts out of the room. I lift the bag I have made for her. “For you,”

She swipes it out of my hand, red nails brushing against my skin. She peeks inside, face twisting in surprise before her cheeks glow pink. “Wow! These look great!” She pulls out the pair of underwear I had made her. They are lace and pink, one of the few pairs I constructed for her, since I was unsure what kind of style she liked. “Kinda sexy, too,”

I blush bright red, my free hand covering my flaming cheeks. “I didn’t mean to be weird, I just wasn’t sure what you wanted,”

“No, don’t worry about it girl!” She coos, winking at me. “I see you! Bet you imagined me wearing them too!”

I wave my hands in the air, frantically trying to deny her. “N-no! Not at all, I promise!”

“I’m just teasing. No but seriously, these are SO super mega perfect! Thanks babe!” 

“Yeah, of course,” I look away from her pretty face shyly. “Have a good rest of the day!” 

She nods, shutting the door, and I start on my short search for Mondo’s room. The heat is still pounding on my cheeks, and I only hope he doesn’t notice when he opens his door and looks down at me. 

“Whatcha want?”

“For you,” I hold out the bag, and he raises a brow before grabbing it. “Cool eyeliner, by the way,” I point at the long line on his cheek. 

“Yeah? Thanks,” he huffs. He opens the bag, pulling out the pajama top I had made him.

“Have you eaten yet?”

Confusion crosses over his hard features. “Nah, why?”

“I think there’s some soba in the kitchen if you wanted some. I hadn’t seen you come into the dining hall, so I just wanted to tell you,”

“What, were ya looking for me or some shit?” he laughs.

Awkwardly, I chuckle. “No,”

“Ah, well, thanks anyway,” His eyes flicker to the side, and he bites his lower lip. “I really appreciate this, you’re a cool chick. You sure I can’t do something for you in return? It’s a man’s honor to repay favors.”

“It is?” He nods seriously at my question. “Oh, well I’m sure. But if there’s anything I need, I’ll come to you.”

“Damn, well, see ya later,” Mondo pushes past me, door swinging shut behind him. 

Walking in the opposite direction back to my room, I smile, content with the reactions of the two. Hiro is next, so I get started on him, proud of everything I have already accomplished in one day. It should be fine if I finish the other two’s requests tomorrow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heya! Thank you so much for reading, I appreciate it so much! i hope that if you're reading, that you're enjoying the story! again, i'm having trouble characterizing some of them, and i hope im doing an alright enough job. also sayaka is in this chapter and i was so happy to write her and leon for the small moments they have! again, thanks for reading! lots of love <3


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HEAVY warning for intrusive thoughts in this chapter!!! if any mention or description of self-harm or intrusive thoughts makes you uncomfortable or will trigger you, please be warned! i will indicate which paragraphs mention it before the paragraph. please stay safe and take care of yourself!

When the nighttime Monokuma announcement rings out, I jump in my seat, but continue on Hiro’s underwear, nearly done with the task. When I’m tying the last knot, my doorbell rings, and I smile, predicting it to be Leon on the other side. 

“Etsuko! We need to remember to stay on a schedule, and I have taken on the task of reminding everyone to stay on a strict sleeping schedule!” Taka shouts in my face when I open the door. 

I wince. “Okay, I got it. Thanks Taka. Please just lower your voice a little.”

Taka frowns, but nods anyway. His voice is a little lower when he responds. “I will make sure to do so! Goodnight!”

“Goodnight Taka, sleep well,” 

I am about to shut my door when a socked foot slips between it and the frame. Making sure not to put pressure on the mystery foot, I open the door again. Leon is grinning on the other side, his bedtime shirt adorned with small drops of water. His hair is loose and damp, hanging over his face. Blushing, I realize his night shirt is sticking along his body. 

“Hey, Etsuko,” he says, voice low and smooth. 

“Leon!” I grin, “Come in!”

“You two! Remember not to do anything unwholesome together!” we both hear Taka shout from down the hall. Shutting the door, Leon walks further inside, and I realize he smells strongly of strawberries. It must be whatever shampoo or body wash he has used. 

“That guy has  _ got _ to chill out,” Leon yawns, gazing at me.

Shrugging, I watch him drop his platforms down onto the ground. He’s shorter now, but still rather tall compared to my stout height. “He’s funny. Did you just take a shower? Did your water get turned off in the middle of it since it’s past 8?”

“I was already finishing up by then,” he flops down on the bed that still has our two blankets strewn across it. “Want to smell me?”

“Weird question,” I smile. “I can already smell you from here,”

He cranes his neck to look at me quizzically. “Good or bad?”

“You smell really good. Didn’t know Monokuma would provide such nice stuff for us,”

“Not enough to make up for the fact we’re…” he trails off, not wanting to speak of the very thing threatening our lives. I suck in a deep breath, then flop down next to Leon, his arm rests above my head. I sigh, and the weight of his arm above me leaves, until I feel it cross over my rising stomach. We lay in silence for a while, my breathing becoming fast as I hear Leon murmur my name. “You’re alright with me here tonight?”

“Yeah,” I smile, my voice revealing the happiness that seeps out of my every pore. “I really like it when you’re around,”

He giggles, the sound nearly splitting my heart open. “Well, I like it when you’re around too,” It’s a little hard for me to believe, but it still curls my lip upward, and I feel his gaze move from the ceiling onto me. “You were alone all after dinner?”

I nod, “Yup,”

“Hope you didn’t mine it,”

“I didn’t really mind. I did miss your singing though,” I laugh, and feel him shift closer to me, his shoulder brushing mine, our hair intertwining between us. 

He hums, “You did?”

“You’re a good singer. Your voice is really nice, so of course I did. What were you and Sayaka up to?”

“Heh, not much, but I’m pretty sure I charmed her a little,” Nudging my side, his voice turns airy. “This pretty face can work wonders. I don’t think she’s too convinced about joining my band yet though…”

“Ah, eventually I’m sure she’ll sing with you. Once you serenade her with that song of yours, it’ll be great,”

“Yeah,” his voice edges on cockiness, “My song is pretty good, and no girl can resist something like that written about them.”

“Sayaka seems the type to enjoy heartfelt things like that,”

“But, I asked Makoto what kind of guy Sayaka is into, and he didn’t know. Hopefully how I am now is enough to impress her, but if she likes actor guys or something, maybe I can get into that. I mean, I’m sure there’s plenty of guys waiting for her outside, and that there’s a ton of cooler rich billionaire heirs that are chasing after her hand, but…” his voice falters, “I’m cooler than them. I’m cool as hell!”

“Leon,” Shaking my head, I sigh. “How you are now is perfectly fine, you don’t have to try to change yourself to impress her. The only reason you should change is because you want to better yourself. A girl’s preference doesn’t matter if she really does like you. Besides, your personality is already enough to make someone fall in love with you. Your style and looks only improve the odds of it,”

“You serious?” his voice is light, barely audible, but I catch onto his doubt anyway. 

I turn on my side, facing him. His side profile is perfect, pointed nose and sharp jaw. His eyes flicker to mind before he flips onto his side to look at me. The hand that has stayed near my stomach moves, so the arm closer to the ceiling is now draped across the caving space between my rib cage and pelvis. A voice in the back of my mind begs for me to move it, to return his arm to his side, but I’m too shocked to do anything. His fingers twitch, lightly brushing the curve towards my back, before pressing against my sweater, and my face flushes. Staring intensely at me, Leon waits for my answer. 

“Yeah, you’re practically the perfect guy. And the way you talk about her...any girl would be honored to have someone speak about them like that. You sound so happy and…” I take a deep breath, looking away from his scrutinizing gaze. I shove down the selfish thoughts consuming me. “I know you would treat her like a queen.”

“Etsuko,” he leans forward, his hand squeezing the skin beneath my sweater and undershirt. It’s a light, reassuring touch that makes my stomach flip into cartwheels. His lips stretch into a lopsided, goofy smile, the skin beneath the outer corner of his eyes turning a light pink. “Thank you, you...you’re the best, really,”

“Now, that’s a little bit of a lie, I’m just telling you what’s obvious,” I push his hand away from my side, holding it for a moment between our bodies before letting go and sitting up. “I’m going to finish a few things before bed. It’s a little early anyways,”

“Yeah, it is early,” Leon’s voice croaks, barely above a whisper. I move back to where I was working, taking a seat, displeased with the lack of comfort in the chair. “Mind if I just look around your room for a bit?”

“What do you think is here that you want?” I question, glancing back and forth between Makoto’s measurements and my tape measure. 

One of my drawers squeaks open. “Dunno, but I have a feeling I might find something cool,”

“Okay then? Show me if there’s something cool, I’ve been too busy to thoroughly look through everything.”

As I’m cutting out Makoto’s underwear, Leon’s humming in the background, I feel a sudden lump of shame in my throat. Had I really let Leon come so close again? Why had he put a hand around me? Just thinking back to the moment makes my face flush and fingers shake. All my life, showing weakness meant I would be made fun of, or thought of as weird, or I just made myself a burden to my family. Unloading all my issues about school had only made my hard working parents worry tenfold, concerned that it would be impossible to find me anywhere else to go. Showing my weakness at school meant kids would taunt and shout at me, poking me and purposely trapping me in situations I would break down in. Even if I had made the small mistake of letting a ball hit my head, wails of pain interrupting the usual schoolyard commotion, the kids would laugh and aim more at me, wanting to get an even more dramatic reaction from me. Worrying others needlessly, I had decided to keep my doubts and struggles to myself, even when my friends would offer to speak to me about them. Telling of all my worries and pains would mean they would feel bad, I would be giving them the weighty responsibility of handling my mess. And now, with Leon being so kind, so genuine, my weaknesses beg to be released, and I am trying to stop them from bubbling to the surface. Already, everyone is so worried about our situation, and giving Leon all of the scary thoughts that slip through my head daily would only make his fright heightened.

(WARNING FOR INTRUSIVE THOUGHTS FOR THE NEXT PARAGRAPH)

The scissors are poised over my fingers, and wicked thoughts shake through me, similar to when I handle my sewing needles. Even when putting away dishes at home, my hands would shake and my mind would insist on my throwing them down to the floor, shattering them. When I place a glass on the counter, I would double back, sure it would fall down and impale me any second now. All I needed to do to escape this place was to die, right? It would be simple, one flash of pain and done with. If I just close these scissors, then I can feel a lick of what will meet me soon enough. The long, sharp blades close down, the thin shadow of the top one darkening over my finger. 

A gasping sound makes me look away from my small scene, to Leon who is pulling out some of the manga from the shelves. Leon...if I died, would that make Leon worry? Wouldn’t that cause him pain? I wince, my hand dropping the scissors. This is why I shouldn’t have ever let myself near Leon. In all possibilities, I would just bring him pain. 

“Etsuko! Look at this!” Leon is whooping, and I am shocked to see a huge stack of manga leaning from his arm onto his torso. “The ENTIRE Sailor Moon series!” 

My eyes widen, and I shoot out of my chair to walk over to him. “No! Really?” 

“Even including Codename: Sailor V!”

Indeed, in his arms are all of the numbered editions of the Sailor moon manga. My eyes widen, and I nearly drool at the sight. “These books have such pretty art! You’re kidding!”

“Nuh uh, look inside!” Setting the stack to the side, he flips one of them randomly to a couple pages. We ‘ooh’ and ‘aah’ at most of the panels. “I love this series! Pretty girls galore!”

“Okay but Sailor Uranus, she’s the best,” I laugh, and he nods solemnly. “I am so going to binge this stuff,”

“Not before I can!” 

I look to the shelf, seeing a large portion missing from where he had taken them out, the other books falling over in the weird empty space. A few other series are there, and like I had noticed before, many are volumes I had long wanted to collect but couldn’t due to the lack of money I had to splurge. 

Leon has flumped down on top of the bed, the first volume open in his hands, a smile plastered on his face. My work is still waiting for me. 

Eyes squinted, I’m engrossed in my fingers moving the needle back and forth through what will eventually be Makoto’s pajamas. All I have left to do is attach his sleeve, and then I can finally start on my own clothes. Two arms suddenly appear on either side of me, resting across my hunched shoulders, the weight of Leon’s head pushing against the side of my head, my bun being nudged to the side. “What is it, Leon?”

“You’re still working…” he whines, peering over my shoulders. 

I nod, pulling the thread tight through the light green fabric Makoto had chosen. “I’m not tired yet, so I’m going to keep going until I am,”

“Don’t you want to join me in bed?” He wiggles his fingers, and my face flushes. “This is pretty much all you’ve been doing today,”

I shrug, his arms moving up and down in front of me. “It’s not that bad, I’m used to working on the same thing all day, sure you are too,”

Leon huffs obnoxiously, the air shot through his nose brushing past my ear. His hair, still damp, falls on top of my own, and the nape of my neck is ticklish as his hair brushes against it. Against my back, I can feel the cool moisture that has collected on his shirt. Ripe and fruity, the scent of strawberries is all my nose can pick up on. “Yeah,” he drags the word out, “but this is time to relax and hang out with me,”

“We’re hanging out right now,”

“I know, but…”

“I’m almost done with Makoto’s, then all I have is mine left. I’ll be done before you know it,” I chuckle, twisting my head around to get a look at his face, my nose accidentally knocking against his. Quickly, I swivel my head back to where I was looking before. “I promise I won’t take very long.”

He hums, “Why not just do yours first and do Makoto’s after, you can’t give it to him now anyways.”

“Oh,” I laugh, “I guess I hadn’t thought of that. You’re right.”

“I know I am,” I can hear the smirk in his voice. 

I try to get up from my chair, but he is unintentionally pushing me down. I put my hand on his arm. “I need to stand,”

“Oh, I see,” Leon moves away, my back immediately missing him pressed against it. 

Raising, I grab the tape measure and start checking my measurements. I’m still stunned how Junko has them memorized so well. Whenever I had made something that was just meant to be pretty to look at, I had taken my own measurements, but never had the numbers stuck in my memory. Besides, I am a growing person, so the numbers would fluctuate slightly. First, I pull off my thick sweater, and it slightly pulls my skirt up too. Wrapping the tape around my bust, I adjust it to the fullest part of my chest, which still doesn’t add up to very much. By now I’ve gotten almost used to the feeling of Leon’s eyes on me, so I look up at him, head cocking to the side. “Something wrong?”

Leon’s cheeks are dusted with blush, his lips parted a little. “No, was just wondering if there’s anything I can do to help.”

“I’ll be fine on my own,”

“You sure?” he cocks his head to the side like a puppy. 

I ponder his question for a moment, fingers paused over my chest. “I suppose you could measure my waist and thighs while I do the top half of me. Grab one of the tape measures left out.”

Nodding, he does as I say, returning with the same look on his face.

“Do what I did when I measured you.” 

There’s a flicker of movement at his neck, indicating he gulped, and his eyes narrow nervously. He gets on both knees, hands wrapping around my hips. Peering down at my chest, the skin beneath my chin folds down, and I just hope that he doesn’t look up at my face. I mark with my finger where the tape meets across my bust, then look at the number before wrapping it around again. My memory isn’t perfect about it, I only have a faint recollection of the number I usually got from measuring around my chest, but I’m half sure that my bust has grown a centimeter or two, not that it’s very impressive. Something like that couldn’t have just happened overnight, but I brush the thought aside and rewrap the tape around me. Leon’s fingers are brushing my sides and back, softly, so softly I would have forgotten he is there if not for the heat that climbs up my neck and cheeks. Eyes flickering to his face, I watch as he concentrates on me, his hands wrapping around and then he mumbles a number under his breath. I look back to my chest, tightening the tape nervously. 

Leon gets up, looking down at me once he’s fully straightened. My eyes trail his movements. “Is there a piece of paper I should write this down on?” When he’s done with his question, his top teeth appear and clamp down on his bottom lip, full, round, and a soft pink. His keen silver eyes are looking into my own, looking away, down at my body, before looking back up. Our breaths mingle between us. 

“Yeah, just grab one, from the pad,” I take a hand away from the tape and point to my desk where the pad of paper is resting. Smiling, he retrieves it before he kneels back down again. Looking back at the tape, I see it pulled flush against me, my fat rolling over it slightly from how much I had subconsciously tugged at it. Embarrassed, I release it. “Can I borrow that?” I ask Leon, and he hands me the paper silently, I write down the number before returning it to him. As I continue to measure around me, I feel him moving a hand around my thigh, his touch nothing but a whisper before he presses his hand against my skirt. It appears like he’s trying to be nice and not move my skirt around, but is unsure how to measure my thigh without pushing it up. Laughing, I catch his attention, and his face turns a darker red. 

“Need help?” I ask, and he nods, the right corner of his mouth tugging upward. My words are fumbled, “You can just push it up, I have shorts under. Unless you’re uncomfortable with it, I can just do it myself,”

“Okay,” his voice is strained, and my brows knit. 

“You don’t have to if you don’t want to, I’m fine with measuring my leg myself,” 

“No worries, no worries, I’ve got this,” he assures me, his left hand grabbing my skirt but doing nothing with it. Slowly, he lifts it up, his eyes looking at anything in the room except me. My black shorts underneath are pulled up slightly from sitting down and walking around, but it’s nothing too bad.

Worry finally shocks through me. What will he think if he sees the stretch marks that are all around my thigh, stretching from the inside of my legs outward? Finally, I realize how bad of an idea this is, and my face explodes with a blush. What in the world was I thinking, having Leon measure my thigh like this? I swore it wasn’t so personal or embarrassing when I did this to him, but...I want to jump out the nearest window, but here that was the very definition of impossible. On the leg he isn’t touching, I feel a sharp pinch, and I want to die right here. I want the world to swallow me up and for my face to never be seen again. Leon’s eyes finally make their way back to my leg, and somehow, the red on his face glows brighter. Hesitant, his fingers roll the end of my shorts back down over my leg, but I know they still don’t cover half of my thigh. His widened eyes stay focused on my leg as he wraps the tape around, his hands pausing as the end of the tape meets the rest of it, and I guess that he is reading off the number. Ah man, this is even worse! Beneath my skirt, it almost veiled how large my thighs are, but now he is getting the exact number of their circumference. My head goes fuzzy, a fog hazing over everything. For some reason, his hands stay poised at the same spot, and the silence between us is heavy and weird. Another sharp pinch on my leg, and then I feel something warm against my hand that is pressed to the two red blotches on the thigh he isn’t measuring around. A small noise of surprise leaves my lips, and I look to see Leon’s hand holding mine, his eyes now studying where I have been touching. 

“What’s this about?” he asks, his voice soft, lilting up at the end. 

I want to pull my hand away, to pull my entire body away from him, to sprint away from the flutter in my heart, the thing that makes me want to draw closer to him, to give him a firm lipped answer. “What?”

“What are you doing?” 

“I could ask you the same thing,” Staring up at the ceiling, I try to rid my head of my thoughts. 

One finger smooths over my knuckles, and his metal rings are cold against me. Removing my hand, I feel his breath brush my leg. “Why are you pinching yourself like that?” I feel his gaze shift to my face, and I resist the tempting urge to look back at him, knowing surely I would fold under his eyes. There I would release all the feelings trapped inside my bird cage of a heart, I would release the fluttering thing hitting and pounding itself at my steel bars. 

“I’m doing what?” my voice is harsh, cold, but it just arouses a laugh from him. 

“I see you do this often, your hand finds a way under your skirt, and you tug at your skin. When you sat down earlier, I saw this red mark. Please, tell me why,” 

“I...what?”

“Does it hurt?” 

Then, I finally concede and my eyes shoot to his. “What?”

His eyebrows are scrunching upward, his mouth turned into a sad kind of smile. “You pinch yourself, there. It must hurt, right?”

“No no, it’s just a nervous thing I do, but it doesn’t hurt,”

His voice turns light, and he lets out another humourless laugh. “Then why’d it take you so long to tell me?” 

“I don’t want to be judged or anything, is all.”

“Well, you know I wouldn’t judge you, right?” 

“I-” My heart stops, leaping to my throat, and he blurs in front of me into a blob of red white, and cool silver. All I want is to fall into his arms and thank him for his words, but my legs are stunned stiff. I am managing to tuck a strand of hair behind my ear. “Thank you, Leon,”

“You know that, right?” he insists. 

I nod my head, “Right,”

“Good,” At last, his smile turns real. My hand is still held in his, and it takes me a long moment to pull it away to my stomach, where it clutches at the roundness there. “I’ll finish my task now,” Gingerly, his fingers cross around my leg, double checking his measurement before he sighs and rises again. “All done, here you go,” He hands me the slip of paper, and a grin paints over me when I see the small messy stick-figure version of himself smiling up at me. I laugh, the tension in my chest unwinding. “Thought you would appreciate my artistic skills,”

I speak, and it’s much easier than I thought it would be because of the knot that stubbornly stays in the back of my throat. “I definitely do, I am so going to put this on a wall in this room so I can stare at it all day.”

He scoffs, “Wouldn’t you rather just stare at the real deal?”

Our eyes meet, and something flashes in his, foreign and warm, inviting me to move closer to his beaming face. “Both are good options,” I shrug, finger twirling around the loose hairs that have fallen from my bun. His grin widens. 

Eventually, the both of us return to what we were doing before, my fingers moving redundantly in front of me, Leon laying down reading the manga, an airy hum vibrating from his lips. By the time I’ve constructed a simple night gown, a couple volumes are discarded at his side, and he has stopped humming. I hold the nightgown in front of me, the light fabric swaying as I move it upwards. It must have at least been two hours since the nighttime announcement, and I look over to Leon, whose eyes are half shut as he reads, occasionally closing all the way before rushing to open again. He’s on the edge of sleep, and I feel guilty that I am keeping him up so late waiting for me to finish. I rush off to the bathroom, locking the door behind me before dropping my skirt to the floor. I change into my new attire, blushing at the nearly sheer fabric covering my body. It’s not...revealing...but I can still slightly see a hint of my skin tone muddled through the plain white fabric. It’s comfortable, brushing down to my knees. I take my hair down, shaking it out in front of me and running a hand through it. On the small sink, there is a hairbrush, and I drag it through my curls, wincing as I pull them loose. The water is shut off, so I hope that I smell okay. The hair at the top of my head falls flat and wiry, before exploding into curls by my ear. I don’t like it, but there’s nothing I can really do about it now. I fix my bangs a little, wiping any of the hair that has gotten too long out of my eyes. My bangs are wavy, but still manageable. Sighing, I set my clothes to the corner of the room, knowing I’ll have to stop by the laundry room Hagakure had told me about the next morning to rid them of any dirt or smell. When I close the door behind me, I see Leon now standing by the bookshelf, setting the books away. Hearing the door click into place, he turns and looks at me, beaming. 

“Yo! You ready for bed?” he asks, eyes looking up and down the length of me. “Cool nightgown by the way,”

I stretch my arm in front of me, yawning. “I’m ready. And it really isn’t much, but thanks,”

Leon rolls his eyes, “Girl, just take my compliment,”

“Alright,” I say, setting my glasses on one of the tabletops in the room. “Sorry for keeping you up,”

“No worries!” Leon assures me, waiting for me to take my place under the blankets. I climb under, heaving out a breath and turning on my side as I hear him slide off his socks and join on the other side, pulling some blankets over himself. “Goodnight, Etsuko, see you in the morning,”   
The lights flicker out, and we’re surrounded by darkness. His breaths become rhythmic and slow, and I assume he’s already gotten to sleep, so I relax a little, burying the side of my head into my pillow. From here, I can still smell strawberries, so I take a deep breath happily. 

(WARNING FOR INTRUSIVE THOUGHTS FOR THE NEXT PARAGRAPH)

My eyes stay open, staring into the dark abyss that has overcome the room. I can feel my heart beating in my chest, and I’m hyper aware of every inch of my body. My thoughts drift to the kitchen, when I was cutting the peppers, the knife clutched in one hand, so close to my fingers, so close to the veins flowing blood to my body. How easy it would be to close the knife down over my skin, down to where the bone is. Squinting my eyes shut, I can’t escape the evil thoughts that ebb and flow through my mind as naturally as air leaves my lungs, but as I try to control my breathing, which has turned rapid and frenzied, I feel something choke in my throat, and I want to cough whatever it is out. To get rid of the saliva that drips down the cavern of my mouth, to pour out the blood that swims so close to my blotchy patches of skin, to squeeze out every single drop of water in me. I feel myself drifting further into the realm of darkness that swirls in the back of my head, the place I am dragged to visit at the dark hours of the night. Yesterday, I had the hope of waking up at home, and it had been much easier to fall asleep, but now, my head is making up for the missed hours of torment. One hand begins to dig into the curve of my stomach, itching at it. My nails dig into my thin nightgown, and I feel like I might die, my breaths ragged, air barely passing through my lungs. 

Until, a steady weight wraps around my side, grabbing at the hand over my stomach. I pull it away, scared of whatever is climbing on top of me, until the thing presses onto my stomach, rubbing soothingly up and down. I’m pulled backwards, into warm space Leon’s body is curled around. I realize it’s just his arm, and that his hand is the thing rubbing circles around my tummy. His breath is hot at the back of my neck, and when his voice breaks through my panic, it is deep but soft. “Etsuko…”

A blush creeps its way onto my face in the dark, and the thunder pounding against my skull resides, until all I can think of is the arm pressing me to Leon’s chest, his nose at the back of my head, his lips pressing a small chaste kiss on the back of my head. 

He mumbles again, words slurred so badly I can barely make out what he is saying, “They must...have...been having a...a nightmare…” His hand twitches around me, pushing me closer, the cool steel of the rings he usually wears missing. 

Some of my brain is telling me to shrug him off, to rip his hand away and break the contact between us. The rest of me wants to bury closer to him, to let his warmth fully embrace me. But my eyes are lulling shut, my breathing finally calming down and falling into sync with his. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you so much for reading! i hope this story is interesting and that you are enjoying it. im extremely flattered by everyone who has checked this story out!


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AHH I JUST WANTED TO SAY THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR 150 HITS!!! ADHJAJDKFHSD IM SO FLATTERED :D

It’s cold. My numbed hands wrap my blue scarf tighter around my neck. Snow blurs the view in front of me, and my tall boots crunch into the heavy layers of snow that have piled up overnight. Next to me, Leon is sticking his pierced tongue out, catching the small flakes twirling through the sky. I watch a few melt onto his tongue, before his mouth forms and ‘o’ and he looks at me. 

“What a nice day to go out for a walk,” he beams, his hand reaching down and taking mine. His mitten is brown, soft, and it wraps around my fingers that are tinted purple. “You aren’t wearing your mittens? Your hands are going to freeze off,”

I curl my fingers into his mitten, and he pulls up my hand to blow on it a couple of times. Warmth envelops my hand as he keeps breathing on it. “Thanks Leon, I forgot them at home,”

“Next time we do this, I’ll make sure you bring them,” Leon nods, our hands dropping back between us. His free one reaches over and grabs my nose. “Damn girl, you’re about to become a snowperson! I mean, you look cute all like this but I don’t want you catching frostbite!” He releases my nose to wipe at the side of my hair, smoothing the snowflakes that have fallen onto it. He is right, I am severely underprepared for this weather. When had the snow gotten so heavy? Now I can barely see in front of me, and the wind whips at my back, and I tumble forward with the force of it. 

“Etsuko!” Leon exclaims, wrapping his arms around me before I can face-plant right down into the snow. Looking into his eyes, I feel safe, and he pulls me down into him in an embrace, his hands pressing tight against my puffy jacket. Then, he falls back, taking me with him. “Oof!” he sounds out of breath, and I feel his cold lips press against my forehead before he starts to laugh. “Who knew this walk would be so exciting?” I feel the weight of his arms around me pull at my scarf, the color of fresh blueberries, and his lips meet the corner of my mouth. Despite the cold numbing my body, I feel heat rise to my already flushed face. Pecking me there again, he pulls me closer and adjusts a leg so it’s between mine. We stay there for a moment, sinking into the snow, my jacket flush against his, his hands playing with the ends of my scarf. When he whips his head to the side to sneeze, I pull him up, wiping my bare hands at the snow now covering his pants and back. 

“This is going to be a mess, cleaning you up,” I mutter, my breath fogging in the chilled air. 

Leon punches my shoulder, looking down at me with a smirk. Even his small beard is adorned with small flakes. “You’re the one who made me fall, I’m blaming this all on you,”

There are snowflakes on my eyelashes. His eyeliner is smudged to the side of his reddened face. 

“Yeah, I guess I did fall first, and brought you down with me. Sorry,”

He shakes his head, a smile still stretching the corners of his lips that have blue and purple creeping across their full shape. “Don’t be sorry, this was fun,”

“I always have fun when you’re around,” I look away shyly at the flakes breezing by in clusters of white. Their soft, cold greetings as they fall onto me have turned into harsh pangs of pain. How has the weather gotten so cold so quickly? They must be freezing into small ice pellets. “Leon, be careful with this ice, I don’t want you to get hurt,”

“This can’t hurt me,” He shivers, and I flump my head onto his chest. “Now now, what’s going on,”

“I don’t know, I’m just tired. Let’s get going,”

Taking my hand again, we walk together happily, despite the cold nipping at us. The flakes of ice slowly get larger and hurt more, hitting my face and body over and over. It’s not too bad, I’ve run through hail before. From when Leon was fooling with it, my scarf is now weakly wrapped around my neck, before it flies off of me, becoming a blue line streaking through the air behind us. Whipping my head around, I trip forward, hand clenching around Leon’s. Biting my lip, I debate whether to chase after the thing or not. It was kind of costly…. Dragging Leon with me, I run through the pelting hail to get the scarf, which is still flying through the air like the ribbons dancers use. 

“Estuko!” I hear Leon’s voice, muffled and dumbed down by the dense hail falling all around us.

“Come on!” I call back, chasing after the scarf, his mitten still clutched in my frigid hand. Balls of the hail fall at my back, narrowly missing the side of my face, scraping at my cheek. I think I feel something running down my face, but it’s too senseless that I can’t tell. The blue streak heads back down to the ground, and I jump forward trying to catch it, my hand outstretched like I’m reaching for home plate. As I see my fingers wrapping around the soft thing, it rises back through the air, and I can’t catch sight of it again through the hail. Leon’s mitten is in my hand, but when I turn to the side, he is not there. Panic courses through me, but all my adrenaline had just been pumped when trying to catch the scarf.

“Leon!” I scream, my voice scraping at my throat. “Leon! Follow my voice! Leon!” I continue to call, and I see a flash of his red hair through the hail, and my legs stumble trying to get to him. “Leon!” I start to cough, the itch at the back of my throat excruciating. “Leon!” I fall face first into the icy ground, and my nose goes fully numb. Bright pink is smeared across the white beneath me until it is quickly covered up by more of the falling hail. A chunk of the ice hits my face, and I cry out in agony. “Leon!”

Eyes opening, I feel a cold sweat covering me, plastering the flimsy nightgown to my chest. A hand is still wrapped around my wide stomach, and I’m pulled close to someone. I turn my head, seeing a peaceful Leon through the dark. I wipe at my face, at the sweat above my lips, the sweat dripping from my forehead to my pillow, the sweat sticking my hair to my temples. I must smell awful, I realize, and take a deep inhale through my nose, but still all there is is strawberry, overwhelmingly strong. I wonder what the hell just happened, slowing my breaths down until they’re back to normal. When I close my eyes to return to sleep, it feels sticky and wrong. So I keep them open, staring forward and thinking of the arm wrapped securely around me. It’s so silent, I can focus on the sound of Leon’s even breathing. I nearly pee my pants when the doorbell rings through the room. Thinking it’s something just made up in my mind, I don’t move, trying to become impossibly still. Then it rings again, and I try to climb out of the bed, but Leon just pulls me closer, trying to keep me in place. I look at him, and see his eyes are still closed. 

“Come on, let me go,” I say under my breath, trying to scooch forward again. It’s futile. 

On my third attempt, I feel Leon's forehead bump against me. “Won’t...you stay a...a little longer…” he mumbles, his words slurred like they were earlier. 

_Is he awake or not?_

I place my cool palm onto the arm holding me so tight, pulling it up and removing myself, putting my pillow where I had been rather ungracefully. The doorbell rings again, and now I’ve become annoyed. This better be important. 

I crack open the door, and my eyes straining at the bright light of the hallway that illuminates the deep red walls. On the other side, a tall, imposing, grumpy heir is waiting. Letting the door open a little more, I straighten, sure to make it so that I’m filling the crack of the door. 

“Hey, Togami, is there something wrong?”

“The only thing wrong about this is how long it took you to answer,” he peers down at me, and I can barely see what expression he’s making, which is a little relieving, because whenever he scowls I get intimidated. “I came to tell you to do something for me,”

I nod my head, waiting for his command. Neither of us say anything for a while. “What is it?” I finally ask.

He sighs, exasperated already with our short exchange. “Word has gotten around about the service you’re providing,”

“Service?” I ask dumbly, and realization washes over me. “Oh, right, why so late though?”

“I don’t need to be questioned, believe me, everything I do is for a reason. It shouldn’t be so hard to figure out.”

I think for a moment, and when I think I have the answer, I say, “You don’t want to be seen with someone like me, so you decided to come when everyone was asleep? Also, what? We have a rule about going out after the night announcement,”

I can feel the smugness radiating off of him. “I’m well aware of the rule, I could care less about it though,”

“So, what do you want me to make you?” 

“Another suit would be nice, a few more nether garments, and I could do with some extra pajamas,” he lists, his voice falling quiet.

“I see,”

“Let me tell you one thing. I don’t want you to get too ahead of yourself. It is tradition in the Togami family to only have a brand made for the true elite tailor us clothes, but because of this situation, I will have to make do with what you can create,”

“I am the Ultimate Seamstress, so I think whatever you get from me should be rather fine,” I spit out, taking insult with his words. “Do you have your measurements? Or do we need to get you a tape measure?”

“I-” he starts, but cuts off, and I see his hand move his glasses upward on his nose. What is the problem? “I am afraid I will have to use one of your things,”

“Okay, just hold on a moment then,”

“I’m in a good mood, so I will allow this,”

“How else are you going to get what you want?” I mutter under my breath, a little pissed with his words. It is probably just the late hour getting to me. Usually I wouldn’t snap at someone so quickly. I close the door, retrieving the tape measure and pad of paper and opening the door back up to see the impatient Togami huffing at me. “Here, let me,”

When I approach closer, I see his eyes widen and he holds up a hand as a signal to stop. “Are you trying to hide something inside of your room?”

“What?” I’m taken aback by his question, the bluntness making me falter. “No,”

“You don’t sound too sure about that,” 

“I’m not hiding anything. Do you want to peek around my stuff that bad?”

His lip twitches in disgust at my suggestion, and he snatches the tape measure from my hands. “I’ll just do this myself,” 

Swiftly, he follows my directions, like the others had throughout the day. I write down the numbers, and then hand him the paper to write his requests on. Peeved because he had already told me, he scoffs when he has to write is all down. I nearly giggle when I see the small outline he had included regarding the shape he wants for his clothing. Well, now I have something to work on tomorrow. Quite a few things, actually. Sauntering away, Byakuya dismisses me and I’m relieved to return to the bed where Leon is holding the pillow tightly. 

Settling back down, I move the pillow, and he sets his arm right back over the dip of my figure, pulling me tight in front of him. I feel his face nuzzle down into my neck, his smile curving against my skin. 

“You awake, Leon?” I ask, but get no answer. 

Closing my eyes, I feel his legs against my own, and he pushes one forward, kicking me abruptly. It doesn’t hurt, but it does make me amused. At the back of my neck, his hairs tickle my own, and soon enough I am lulled back into sleep by his smooth breathing and comforting touch. Throughout the night, I wake up in small fits of panic, but everytime, Leon’s soothing presence is able to pull me back asleep. Until finally, I wake up and the room light is on, and Monokuma’s morning announcement is ringing in my ears.

Eyes opening, I feel a cold sweat covering me, plastering the flimsy nightgown to my chest. A hand is still wrapped around my wide stomach, and I’m pulled close to someone. I turn my head, seeing a peaceful Leon through the dark. I wipe at my face, at the sweat above my lips, the sweat dripping from my forehead to my pillow, the sweat sticking my hair to my temples. I must smell awful, I realize, and take a deep inhale through my nose, but still all there is is strawberry, overwhelmingly strong. I wonder what the hell just happened, slowing my breaths down until they’re back to normal. When I close my eyes to return to sleep, it feels sticky and wrong. So I keep them open, staring forward and thinking of the arm wrapped securely around me. It’s so silent, I can focus on the sound of Leon’s even breathing. I nearly pee my pants when the doorbell rings through the room. Thinking it’s something just made up in my mind, I don’t move, trying to become impossibly still. Then it rings again, and I try to climb out of the bed, but Leon just pulls me closer, trying to keep me in place. I look at him, and see his eyes are still closed. 

“Come on, let me go,” I say under my breath, trying to scooch forward again. It’s futile. 

On my third attempt, I feel Leon's forehead bump against me. “Won’t...you stay a...a little longer…” he mumbles, his words slurred like they were earlier. 

_Is he awake or not?_

I place my cool palm onto the arm holding me so tight, pulling it up and removing myself, putting my pillow where I had been rather ungracefully. The doorbell rings again, and now I’ve become annoyed. This better be important. 

I crack open the door, and my eyes straining at the bright light of the hallway that illuminates the deep red walls. On the other side, a tall, imposing, grumpy heir is waiting. Letting the door open a little more, I straighten, sure to make it so that I’m filling the crack of the door. 

“Hey, Togami, is there something wrong?”

“The only thing wrong about this is how long it took you to answer,” he peers down at me, and I can barely see what expression he’s making, which is a little relieving, because whenever he scowls I get intimidated. “I came to tell you to do something for me,”

I nod my head, waiting for his command. Neither of us say anything for a while. “What is it?” I finally ask.

He sighs, exasperated already with our short exchange. “Word has gotten around about the service you’re providing,”

“Service?” I ask dumbly, and realization washes over me. “Oh, right, why so late though?”

“I don’t need to be questioned, believe me, everything I do is for a reason. It shouldn’t be so hard to figure out.”

I think for a moment, and when I think I have the answer, I say, “You don’t want to be seen with someone like me, so you decided to come when everyone was asleep? Also, what? We have a rule about going out after the night announcement,”

I can feel the smugness radiating off of him. “I’m well aware of the rule, I could care less about it though,”

“So, what do you want me to make you?” 

“Another suit would be nice, a few more nether garments, and I could do with some extra pajamas,” he lists, his voice falling quiet.

“I see,”

“Let me tell you one thing. I don’t want you to get too ahead of yourself. It is tradition in the Togami family to only have a brand made for the true elite tailor us clothes, but because of this situation, I will have to make do with what you can create,”

“I am the Ultimate Seamstress, so I think whatever you get from me should be rather fine,” I spit out, taking insult with his words. “Do you have your measurements? Or do we need to get you a tape measure?”

“I-” he starts, but cuts off, and I see his hand move his glasses upward on his nose. What is the problem? “I am afraid I will have to use one of your things,”

“Okay, just hold on a moment then,”

“I’m in a good mood, so I will allow this,”

“How else are you going to get what you want?” I mutter under my breath, a little pissed with his words. It is probably just the late hour getting to me. Usually I wouldn’t snap at someone so quickly. I close the door, retrieving the tape measure and pad of paper and opening the door back up to see the impatient Togami huffing at me. “Here, let me,”

When I approach closer, I see his eyes widen and he holds up a hand as a signal to stop. “Are you trying to hide something inside of your room?”

“What?” I’m taken aback by his question, the bluntness making me falter. “No,”

“You don’t sound too sure about that,” 

“I’m not hiding anything. Do you want to peek around my stuff that bad?”

His lip twitches in disgust at my suggestion, and he snatches the tape measure from my hands. “I’ll just do this myself,” 

Swiftly, he follows my directions, like the others had throughout the day. I write down the numbers, and then hand him the paper to write his requests on. Peeved because he had already told me, he scoffs when he has to write is all down. I nearly giggle when I see the small outline he had included regarding the shape he wants for his clothing. Well, now I have something to work on tomorrow. Quite a few things, actually. Sauntering away, Byakuya dismisses me and I’m relieved to return to the bed where Leon is holding the pillow tightly. 

Settling back down, I move the pillow, and he sets his arm right back over the dip of my figure, pulling me tight in front of him. I feel his face nuzzle down into my neck, his smile curving against my skin. 

“You awake, Leon?” I ask, but get no answer. 

Closing my eyes, I feel his legs against my own, and he pushes one forward, kicking me abruptly. It doesn’t hurt, but it does make me amused. At the back of my neck, his hairs tickle my own, and soon enough I am lulled back into sleep by his smooth breathing and comforting touch. Throughout the night, I wake up in small fits of panic, but everytime, Leon’s soothing presence is able to pull me back asleep. Until finally, I wake up and the room light is on, and Monokuma’s morning announcement is ringing in my ears.

Wiping the small bits of sleep left in my eyes, I have to fight the heavy weight keeping one of my arms down. Something wet and warm is pushing against the back of my neck, bumpy except for a small smooth part, and I pull forward, throwing my arm upward to wipe it away. Looking over, I see Leon’s mouth is gaping open, his tongue lolling out to the side. 

“Oh my…” I mutter, hand digging into the back of my neck. Leon’s hand finds a way to my waist again, and he pulls me back to him, and I crane my head away. “I gotta get up,”

“Few more minutes?” Leon’s groggy voice says at the back of my ear, warm and low. It’s lower and rougher than it usually is, and it makes me blush. 

I shake my head, arm coming down to rest over the one pulling around me tight. “It’s morning, I gotta get up Leon,”

“Etsuko,” his chest rumbles, and my face burns bright red. The way my name sounds when passing off his tongue makes it sound much prettier than it usually sounds. “Stay,”

“I-fine,” I concede, sighing to myself. It can’t hurt to stay here with Leon a little longer. It is nice and warm beneath the blankets, and there is nothing better for me to be doing in the moment. Right now, nothing seems better than Leon having an arm wrapped around me in our shared bed. 

He laughs, before I feel his nose brush at the nape of my neck, and he rests it there, taking a few deep breaths. We spend our time in silence together, our breaths staying in unison. Peaceful, I am glad to be able to enjoy a precious moment like this. Heart pounding faster than a cheetah, I acutely feel Leon’s hand rub my stomach up and down, the butterflies resting beneath the skin there startling, and the wild thing in my chest longs to be freed. Eventually, I feel the call of the bathroom, and I politely ask for Leon to release me. 

“Alright,” disappointment weighs down in his voice, and I get up, pulling the covers snug around him with a smile. Then I rush to the bathroom, doing my business and grabbing my dirty clothes. Starting my laundry then taking a shower would be the best plan, so I walk out and nudge Leon. He opens one eye to look at me. “What?”

“Want me to grab your laundry?”

“Hmm? Sure,” he closes his eyes again, and I laugh.

“Your stuff is in your room right? Want to grab it...or I can just take your key and break in for you?”

“Break in like a baddie,” Leon says, his voice monotone. “My key is on the bookshelf.”

“Ah, thanks, be back in a second.” Easily, I find his key and I pull on my socks, embarrassed to walk out of my room in just pajamas. It should be fine, not many people will be leaving their rooms so early in the morning anyway. I rush down the hallway to Leon’s room, sliding the key in and twisting it. As I’m about to go in, I hear a voice calling me. 

“Etsuko!” Like I expect from the tone of his voice, Kiyotaka is approaching me, face red and brows furrowed. “What are you doing, entering Leon’s room without permission!? And in such attire too?”

One foot is through the door, and I wave at Taka. “Goodmorning Kiyotaka. Hope everything’s going well for you.”

“Don’t avoid my questions! Please halt in your advances into Leon’s room!”

“I’m not doing anything bad, I’m just collecting his laundry for him, that’s all,” I jangle the key in the air, right in front of Taka’s squinting eyes. “See, he even lended me his key,”

“As much as I don’t want to doubt you, you could have just stolen it!”

“What?” I can’t help but giggle at his accusations. “I’m not skilled enough for that. Let’s see, how about you just watch me as I gather his things for the laundry, just so you can be sure,”

Taka pauses, closing his eyes for a moment to debate my suggestion. Conceding, he nods at me. “That would be good, I will allow this,”

“Alright then,” I walk fully into the room, eyebrow twitching upward when I see Leon’s clothes strewn across the floor messily. It looks like he had been in a rush to get undressed, and I wonder if I was the cause of it, that he was anticipating seeing me again, but I push away the selfish thought as I grab his jeans. Finally, I locate his boxers and delicately put them on the pile. Taka is following my every move, eyes filled with scrutiny. When I pick up the boxers, his hand shoots out to stop me, before reluctantly pulling away at the reassurance I just need them so I can handle his laundry. Stepping out of the room, I grin at Taka. “If you want, I can take care of your laundry as well. I’ll be quick about it, so you won’t have to worry.”

Once again, Taka contemplates, then nods, a small sigh leaving him. “That would be very kind of you, let me retrieve my things.” Rushing off, he soon returns with his laundry...all neatly folded in a small pile. We continue to talk down the hall, before Aoi stops me. 

“Heya Etsuko! Good to see you! Cute nightgown too! Where’d you get it?” she cheers, a large smile breaking across her pretty face. 

Blushing, I respond, “Oh, I just made it myself, it’s really not that big of a deal…”

“There’s no need to be so bashful!” she laughs, but then grabs the collar of her tracksuit jacket and looks at me firmly. “You can make those? Can I ask for one too!?”

“Yeah! Sure, you’ll just have to stop by later so I can get your measurements,”

“Sweet!” Her gaze flickers down to the pile of clothes in my hands, and I watch her roll back on her heels, bouncing with energy. “You doing laundry so early? Would you mind grabbing a few things of mine? I don’t mean to bug you or anything, it’s just I planned something with Sakura-”

“No need to worry Hina! I’ll take it,”

“Thanks! You're the best!” 

She gives me a small bag of things, and I nod at her as she hurries away. It’s funny, she barely acknowledged Taka except for a small hey, and I figure that since she’s already up they’ve exchanged their morning greetings. Somehow, I’ve gathered the laundry of two other people, but I don’t mind at all. Taka bows to me once I’ve reached the laundry room, saying he only had abandoned the hall for a while to make sure I wouldn’t mess with his or Leon’s things. 

Inside, Hiro is sorting through a couple jackets, so focused he is bent over one of the washing machines. When he hears the door swing open, he looks over to me and grins. “Hey Etsuko! Good morning! You here to wash some stuff?” 

“Yup,” A line of washing machines are up against one wall, and there’s some lines strung down from the ceiling, presumably for drying. Already, I see a couple of things hanging down, My hip knocking against the table in the middle of the room, I reach the stack of laundry baskets in one corner. Dropping the pile of laundry onto the top spare one, I choose the machine next to Hiro. “How’s your morning going?” 

“It’s fine, just wanted to swing by here to wash a stain from a jacket.” He holds up one of the many he owns, and I see a dark purple stain spreading across the side of it. Seeing my eyes widen, he adds, “You really think it’s that bad?”

“Uh, well,” I shrug, “Do you need help with it?” 

“I’ve been here for a while and I think I’m close to getting it out!” There's a large ball of paper towels in one hand, and he’s rubbing viciously at the fabric. It makes me wince as I throw some things in the washer. 

When I finally shut the two washers, one for light and one for dark, the detergent loaded into each, Hiro is still wiping at the stain, but is making no progress. “You sure you don’t want my help? I’ve dealt with things like this before,”

“Really?” Hiro thinks for a moment, and the washing machine my hip is against starts to vibrate as it starts up, and I pull away. “I think I could use some help,” 

“Alright, let me find the stain remover,” I look around, finding a dark blue bottle on the table behind me, and I check the label to make sure it’s the right thing. “Give me that,” I hold out a hand, and he drops the jacket into it. “Watch what I do,” I rub the top of the bottle over the splatter of purple, and the stain remover falls from the nozzle thing and gets smeared across the spot. I throw it into a free machine, and set it up for a rinse. “That’s how it’s done, Hiro, now just come back when it’s done.”

“Thanks so much! Think you can help me with this one too?” He holds up another jacket, a similar stain on the side. 

“What in the world were you doing?” I pinch the bridge of my nose, “How about you try it, just do what I did.”

“O-kay,” his eyebrows scrunch down, and he clumsily does what I did, and I open the machine with his other jacket inside for him to throw the second one in. When he does, I wait for him to present another dirtied jacket, but he says, “I’m done now, thanks!”

I turn on the machine, and the two things start to swirl around. I look through the circular window for a moment before seeing Hiro walk out of the room. Making note of the time on the machine with my things in it, I rush back down to the dorm hallways and into my room, and see Leon with his arms wrapped around himself in bed. 

“Hey sleepyhead,” I laugh, sitting on the mattress. Pausing for a moment, I rub a hand through his now dried hair, and he hums happily, his lips twitching up in a grin. “I’m going to take a quick shower, your stuff is in the laundry room getting cleaned.”

“See you when you get out,” he mumbles, and I leave to the bathroom, slipping off my pajamas and locking the door.

The water is a warm relief from the grime that has creeped onto me the past days. It runs through my hair, and I brush through any knots that have formed, tugging at my scalp and frowning at the bigger tangles. Beads of water fall down my skin, and a light condensation fogs the glass walls of the shower. My shampoo is pleasant and sweet, and I massage it through my scalp slowly, the simple privilege a huge relief. I fall back into my showering routine, surprised at how easy it is for me to get going. Most times, it takes up all of my energy just to rise from bed, but here, there was a strange sort of energy pulling me out and telling me to take care of myself. Maybe it’s the fact my life is in danger that’s making me savor these moments and opportunities. Letting my worries go, I finish up, wrapping a towel tightly around my body.  _ Now what am I going to wear?  _ I wonder as I shake my damp hair with a towel. Steeling myself, one hand clutching my white towel to my chest, I peek out of the room, seeing Leon still soundly in bed. Strangely, there’s a small rack of clothes next to the door, holding a simple set of shorts and a sweater, knocking my earlier outfit down to the bair essentials. There’s a lace trim at the end of the black shorts, and I think it’s a cute detail. I pull the things into the room, content to find underclothes there with them. Dressing quickly, I wrap my hair in a towel and step back out of my room. If Monokuma had provided me with these clothes, and had done the same for others, then what was the point of me trying to give the others their own personal tailor-made garments? I suppose it’s still nice to have extras. The light brown sweater rests loosely over my shoulders, and I flush at the sight of a navy strap peeking out from my top. I wipe at my face, fatigue still making me a little drowsy. 

“You’re out now?” Leon asks, his eyes still closed.

“Yeah,”

“You got clothes on?”

I blush at the casualness of his question. “Yeah,”

“Cool, I’m opening my eyes now,” Eyelids fluttering open, he stretches upward, swinging his legs around to get out of the blankets. He looks me up and down. “You got extra clothes too?”

“Yeah, I just hope my effort to get the others some stuff wasn’t pointless,”

“I’m sure it’s not, I think we just got an extra daytime fit,”

“Oh, you’re probably right,”

“Something smells good,” Leon twitches his nose, stepping closer to me. “No surprise, it’s you,”

I laugh lightly, “Thanks, I think it’s just the shampoo I got,”

Rolling his eyes, he leans over, hands on his hips, nose hovering near the hair poking out of my towel, including the bangs that are clumped together in wet strands. Exaggerated, he sniffs loudly at me. “Nah, it’s just you girl,”

“Whatever,” I brush him off, taking notice of the way his hair has all fallen down. Gone are the spikes of hair that jut out around his face, instead some falls between his eyes, down in front of his face. It’s really cute, and I find myself staring at the red tresses that flop down around his head. Just when I thought he couldn’t get any more pretty...

“Hey, you’re staring,” Leon points out, and I shut my mouth and look away, lips pressing into a thin line. “Did...did you get enough sleep last night?” He tilts his head to the side as he asks, hair falling that way too, across the arch of his nose. 

“Hmm? What do you mean?”

Hand moving to my face, his fingers cup under my jaw line, lightly stroking the skin there, and his thumb rubs the space under my eye. My cheeks flare up, but he stays studying the bags there. “You look real tired, is all. These haven’t gotten any better,”

“Oh, I think those have always been there, I did get a lot of sleep last night, promise,” I hope he doesn’t pick up on my lie. 

One brow raises, questioning. The hand at his side moves the hair out of his eyes. “For as pretty as they look, they worry me. We should get to bed earlier today, got it?”

I nod, my fingers rubbing at the spot I usually pinch myself. Leon’s hand lingers for a moment more, our eyes interlocked. Then we break away, and he heads for the door, slipping some socks on, then his shoes. It’s a goofy look, his pajamas and platforms, but I assume he doesn’t want to appear in the dining hall in only his socks. I follow suit, pulling on my boots. His hair is still hanging over his face lazily, and whenever he leans over his hand runs through it to push it out of his vision. 

“I like your hair like that, Leon,” I say, grabbing Hiro and Makoto’s bags. I had finished the last few stitches on Makoto’s earlier. The towel over my hair gets thrown to the side. 

I fall under his wary gaze, before he decides my words are genuine. “Thanks, I’m going to stop by my room to style it though. Toss me my keys,”

I do so, he catches them easily, and we go to his room, he slips inside, and when he appears in front of me again, his hair is pulled back in their usual spikes. He pats my head, which is still slightly damp from my shower. 

“Let’s go,”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you so much for reading! it means a lot to me that people are actually reading this, as im sure ive said before. i hope you enjoyed this chapter, sorry not much happens in it compared to some of the others. lots of love! <3 (also please ignore i tried posting this chapter like 5 different times T-T )


	15. Chapter 15

The dining hall is already bustling, some in their day wear and others in the pajamas I had given them, deciding it good enough to make an appearance in. A small swell of pride blooms within me at the sight. Mondo has discarded his tank top and pants for the pajamas, but still has thrown on his long coat. Leon waves at the imposing biker, and Mondo scowls at the gesture playfully before returning it. 

“Hey man!” Leon’s shoes clomp on his way over, and I laugh at his back. It’s endearing, the way he’s running over, clad in his red pajamas. I follow him to where Mondo is sitting, toned legs propped up on the table. 

“Good fuckin’ morning Leon, Etsuko,” he nods at the both of us, smirking. He’s in a good mood. “Breakfast is already set up,” To the side of his legs is a plate piled with steam rice, and a small bowl on top of it that has miso soup. Simple, traditional, charming. 

“‘Sup? I like your pj’s,”

“DON’T CALL THEM SOME WEAK SHIT LIKE THAT!” Mondo yells, vein at his temple bulging. “My night clothes are nice and comfy, thanks Etsuko,”

I bow my head, “You’re welcome,”

“How about saving us some seats at this table with you Mondo?” Leon asks, right corner of his lip pulling upward. 

“Sure,” Mondo concedes, spitting in the opposite direction of us. 

In the kitchen, Celeste is delicately putting some rice on her plate. When she sees us, she smiles. “Greetings Etsuko, Leon. How pleasant it is to see the both of you this morning,”

“Celeste! You look great today!” Picking up a plate, I walk to her side to get me some rice from the instant cooker on the counter. Leon is pouring himself a large helping of the soup. Someone has even warmed up some of the leftover soba. I grab a glass of water, knowing rice will appease my appetite. 

“Thank you,” Celeste holds a teacup in one hand, plate and bowl balancing in the other. It’s a miracle that she hasn't spilled the soup from the bowl. “It’s nice to see everyone adapting to this new life,”

Leon is looking around the room for something as he responds, “Eh, I think we’re all just trying to act normal,”

“I considered that as a possibility too, but I suppose you’re more of a pessimist Leon?” She chuckles, and Leon gives her a hard look.

“Nah, my glass of half full all the way,”

“What is your judgement of Leon?” Celeste’s wide eyes shift over to me, waiting patiently for my answer. 

It doesn’t require much thinking. “Optimist for sure, but there’s nothing wrong with-”

“See! I know Etsuko’s got my back!” He winks at me, now holding a bright green can in one hand, bearing the same logo as the one I got him yesterday. An energy drink this early in the morning? He walks over to my side, glancing down at my plate. “You got everything?”

“Yeah?” I raise a brow at him.

“Doesn’t look like much,”

I frown at my plate. “It’s enough,”

He sighs, “If you say so,” before I feel a sharp kick to my shin, making me nearly trip and drop my glass of water. “Ah! My bad, my bad! Was just trying to get by you, hehe,”

“It’s fine,” I say, trying to keep the pain out of my voice. We leave the kitchen, Celeste staying behind, sipping her tea. Mondo is digging into his food, a mess on either side of his mouth. Looking down, I notice Leon’s steps are more thought out and delayed, probably because he doesn’t want to accidentally hit me again. When we sit down at the table. Mondo grabs Leon’s energy drink. 

“Didn’t know they had this stuff in there,” Mondo studies the can before Leon snatches it away from him. “I ain’t gonna steal it or anything, no need to be so feisty,”

Leon grins, popping open the can and gulping it down. Putting a hand on his raised bicep, I try to tell him to slow down, but he doesn’t heed my warning and ends up coughing on the sugary concoction. 

“Told you so,” I scoop some of the rice into my mouth, chewing it slowly. Eating too fast will always make me nauseated later in the day. “How’s your morning gone Mondo?” 

“Fine, better if that damn hallmonitier didn’t have a stick up his ass all the time. Didn’t need to be policed about my posture while I was just going on a stroll down the hall,” he scoffs, leaning back and crossing his arms. “That dude isn’t letting me catch a break. He even was tryin’ to act all friendly after I told him to fuck off.”

“I think both of you are being a little too harsh on each other,” I laugh, voice squeaking when Mondo’s glare lands on me. “I mean, I don’t expect an Ultimate Moral Compass and a Biker Gang Leader getting along, but at least you could be cordial to each other. Daily conflict between you two is just going to make things worse.”

“I don’t care about shit like that! He needs to back off before I show him what a real man is!”

“Well, if you say so…” I shrug, looking at Leon who has recovered from his choking fit less than elegantly. 

“Leon, wanna hang out today? You seem like less of a wimp than the other dudes here,”

Leon gives me a panicked look before turning to Mondo, face lit up with surprise. “Well, I dunno, what kind of thing would you want to do together?”

“I was thinking of something manly as hell! Like an arm wrestle, or a brawl, something to prove your strength! Makes you work up a sweat!”

“Sweat?” Leon yelps, eyes flickering back to me. To me, he murmurs, “I hate sweaty dudes,”

“What are you bastards whispering about? You wanna abandon me to hang out with a chick? Well shit, wouldn’t have invited ya if I knew you were gonna be hogging Etsuko around all day,”

“No, no, not at all!” Leon waves his hands in the air, a bead of sweat running down his temple. His face is painted across with fear, and I can’t imagine how this is going to turn out for him. “I was just, I-”

“You were what?”

“I was...I...I was just gonna…”

“Now you’re pissin’ me off!” Mondo punches his hands together, looking down at Leon and I. “Yes or no?”

“You wouldn’t mind if Etsuko joined, right?” Leon chuckles, and he is wearing his signature nervous smile. 

“How did I get wrapped up in this?” I close my eyes, blowing on my steaming rice before slipping it into my mouth. 

Mondo thinks of it for a second. “I mean, I don’t really care if the chick joins, but I don’t know what she’d be able to do with us,” 

Leon grins, “They can just watch me beat you in whatever game we play!”

“Yeah right! Don’t go around underestimating me, punk!” His rough voice holds playfulness in it, and Leon seems to relax a little in his seat, but he still moves over closer to me, probably still intimidated by Mondo.

After a while, I hear Leon whisper in my ear, “I hope I don’t get slaughtered in front of you,”

“Oh,” my face flushes deep red, I can feel Leon’s breath brush against my skin. “I’ll save you before that can happen, don’t worry,” 

I feel him lean away, and I look to see him with a goofy grin stretching across his face. “I won’t worry then,” 

Each of us finish our breakfasts, and I catch Makoto and Hiro to give them their things, then Leon and I walk together to the open space outside the dining hall. Halting, Mondo swings his head side to side looking for where to go, before he smirks at Leon, whose hand has found a place in mine. “How about we brawl right here?”

Squeezing my hand, I look up to see Leon’s pupils dilate. “I mean, if you want to be humiliated in front of everyone, sure,”

“Then let’s go!” Mondo shrugs off his large jacket, leaving him in his pajamas, which is quite a sight to see, since Leon is also in his pajamas. Hostility shakes the air, and Leon lets go of his tight hold on my hand. They stand in front of the room, and my heart skips a beat. I really don’t want either of them to really hurt each other, and I know if they do it will be my fault for not stopping them. “Don’t look so nervous Kuwata, I won’t rough you up too bad,” 

“I’m not nervous,” Leon lies, raising his fists in the air, bending his knees slightly. “Come at me,”

“If ya say so,” Mondo charges forward, swinging a punch towards Leon’s head, who ducks down and swerves himself to the side, nearly tripping over in his platforms. It should have been obvious earlier, but there’s no way Leon will win this play fight. Like two small kids on a playground, Mondo swings a barrage of punches at Leon, who is running away from him frantically. Swiftly, Mondo stomps forward, catching one of Leon’s shoes under his, and Leon falls forward, his arms splayed outward so he can catch himself. Scrambling to get up, Mondo menacingly stands over him, before Leon uses his free leg to kick the biker, successfully freeing himself. Growling, Mondo sprints after Leon, who sees me watching and runs over, tripping a little because of his loosened shoe. Using me as a human shield, he cowers behind me, tugging at my shoulders. 

I laugh, “Leon,”

Mondo, who is a good foot taller than me, towers overhead, a conflicted expression on his face. 

“You would never hit a girl, right?” Leon chuckles, whimpering after his question.

Mondo’s voice is raised to a starling degree, but he doesn’t sound very angry, “No, my brother told me that wasn't something a man would do! But only cowards hide behind one like you are doing! Ya moron!”

“I’m not a…” Leon shrinks behind me as his voice trails off.

I put a hand over one of Leon’s, whose fingers are digging into the bare skin one one side, the other twisting the fabric of my sweater. My voice is stiff and defensive. “Leon isn’t a moron,”

“Oh, well, if ya say so,” Mondo looks a little ashamed, rubbing at the locks on the back of his head beneath his pompadour. “But does this mean I beat him in this fight!?”

“Yeah,” I shrug, and Leon shoots upward from behind me. 

“Hey!” he laughs, suddenly relieved of his stress. “Ah man, I think I gotta take a nap now,”

“So early dude? Did you stay up doing something?” 

“No, me and Estuko were just hanging out, but we went to bed at a good time,” Leon says, removing his hands from me to rest them on his hips, unaware of what he had just said. Heat creeps up my neck to my face. 

Mondo’s face twists into mortification. “YOU!! YOU TWO SLEPT TOGETHER!?”

“What?” I cry next, shaking my head fervently. “No! How’d you get to that conclusion!?”

“LEON JUST SAID THAT YOU TWO WENT TO BED!”

“I DON’T KNOW WHAT HE’S TALKING ABOUT!” I deny, and Leon finally seems to realize, his blush reaching all the way across his smooth face, even the tips of his ears turning a similar color to his hair. The sharp click of someone’s boots approaches us, and we all look to see Kiyotaka walking, face twisted in anger. 

“Stop! What is this racket!? And what is the unwholesome conversation you three are having!? Please tell me I did not hear what I think I did!”

“My bad, my bad, I didn’t mean to make it sound like  _ that _ ,” Leon scratches the back of his neck, looking down at the ground to avoid all of our frustrated gazes. “All I meant was that me and Etsuko were hanging out, but we made sure we each separately went to bed at a good time,”

“I-” Taka sighs, one eyebrow twitching. “Please refrain from talking about such inappropriate things, as well as making so much noise so early in the morning,”

“Whatever you say hall monitor,” Mondo grumbles, starting his saunter away from the conversation. 

“Hey! I am more than just a hall monitor!” Taka calls after him, but Mondo doesn’t pay him any mind. “Well, I’m glad this wasn’t about what I had thought it was about. You three are all the biggest trouble makers here,”

“Me?” I squeak, upset with his accusation. “What did I do?”

“And me too!?” Leon adds.

“Yasuraoka, you are always up to something, and Kuwata, you have made many inappropriate comments and suggestions that are not meant for a school environment,”

“What have they been up to?” Leon looks at me, confusion furrowing his brows. I shrug, not knowing either.

“You mean Yasuraoka? They have sneaked into your room, always been with you and Mondo when you start causing trouble, have been caught having a boy in their room overnight, the list goes on and on,” Taka informs us, but I still have no idea what he is talking about. 

“You snuck into my room?” Leon asks, eyebrows raised suspiciously. 

“Taka, do you mean when I was grabbing Leon’s laundry? That’s the only time I was in there without Leon with me, and you were supervising me...how is that sneaking in?”

“Entering his room without permission,”

“Yeah, Etsuko, you are such a troublemaker!” Leon teases, voice changing to mimcik Taka’s hard tone. He winks, “Plus, what boy did you have overnight?”

One of my eyebrows tick upward. “I don’t know, I think this might be an elaborate scheme Taka is using to get me in trouble.”

“I-I would never do that to someone! I understand how such serious offenses can ruin someone’s reputation, and would never wish that on someone!” Taka tries to affirm, looking really worried. 

Feeling bad, I add, “Sorry Taka, I was trying to make a joke, I didn’t mean to make you upset,”

“Oh, I see…” Taka nods, “That doesn’t mean you aren’t a rascal though,”

Leon can barely talk through his laughter, “Rascal...holy-”

Slapping a hand over Leon’s mouth, I muffle the cuss word he is about to say in front of Taka, scared to see what the boy’s reaction would be to it. 

“Don’t hit others!” Taka scolds me, and Leon grabs my wrist and pulls it away from his mouth. 

“It’s fine Taka, it didn’t hurt,” he says, still laughing at the interaction. “This rascal was just trying to keep me out of trouble, she’s so nice!”

“Ah, I will take my leave then, it seems the two of you are just having fun together, and that is not one of my priorities,” he turns and marches down the hallway, saying something under his breath. 

Leon’s firm grip is still around my wrist, and our hands hang between us. 

“Heya! Miss Yasuraoka! Mister Kuwata!” A nasally voice calls out to us, and Leon tugs me closer when we see Hifumi struggling to run over to us. “So good to see you this morning, although it would be way more wonderful if you were 2D,” 

“‘Sup Yamada?” Leon nods his head in the portly guy’s direction, and he stops in front of us, breathing heavily from his run. “You good?”

“I’ll-I’ll be fine,” He eventually slows down his breathing, wiping the sweat from his face. “Miss Yasuraoka! What are some of your favorite fandoms?”

“Oh, I...Sailor Moon, Ouran High School Host Club, Toradora, let me think of what else…” I pause, but can’t come up with anything else on the spot. “Why do you want to know?”

“I was going to go around asking about people’s favorite 2D worlds, to get a sense of everyone’s tastes! Yours are...kinda basic,”

“Really? I mean, I guess, but those are really good,”

“I’ll let you have your opinion…” Hifumi mumbles, and I wonder what shows he likes. I haven’t stumbled across any of his work, but I’m guessing that he might be into smaller and less well known ones, from his judgement of my favorites. He looks at Leon, who is a little perturbed. “What about you? Who are some of your favorite waifus?”

“W-waifus?” Leon furrows his brow, tone lilting upward. 

Hifumi exhales loudly and pushes up his glasses which were already held high. The difference between when Byakuya does it and when he does is a little ridiculous. When Byakuya pushes a finger at the bridge between his lenses, it is purposeful, yet natural. On the other hand, Hifumi’s motion is beyond forced. “The ultimate best girls of all time, the girls you buy body pillows of and hold them close at night, like they were your real wife. Do you really not know the greatness of waifus?”

Leon looks just as lost as before, if not more. I stifle a laugh behind a hand. His eyes flicker to mine. “Do you have a waifu?”

For some reason, I consider the question. “I suppose I have girls I wish I could date from anime, but I don’t ever go that far. Body pillows usually freak me out, they’re always so...lewd…”

“REALLY?” Leon shouts, “That’s a little too far for a fake girl,”

“They’re real in my heart! 2D has always been superior anyways…” Dejected, Hifumi turns and walks away. 

“That was weird,” Leon points out the obvious, and we shrug in unison. “Want to go do something?”

“I got some stuff to work on today, but I won’t mind tagging along with you if you want,”

Leon raises a brow, “How did you get more stuff to do? I thought Makoto was it?”

“It’s nothing special,” I say, trying to find a way to not reveal Byakuya was the one who had requested something, “Just some smaller things. Shouldn’t take me very long,”

“Ah, okay then,” he chuckles, “I don’t want either of us holed up in our rooms today again...how about a game of baseball?”

My eyes widen, unable to tell if it’s a jest. “I’d be fine with anything you’d like,”

“No, no, it was just a joke, you know I ain’t about baseball anymore! Punk all the way!” his voice is assertive, free hand balling into a fist, tight and firm. 

“Oh, ok, sorry I didn’t catch on then,” I laugh, trying to shoo away my awkwardness. “Anything else we could do?”

“I think spending some time in the gym could be fun! We could do something like basketball, or any fun sport!”

I had never joined a sports team, but it couldn’t be too bad playing with Leon, though I know he would definitely crush me at whatever we played. Basketball does sound fun, sometimes I would join in a pickup game when walking back home from errands. “I’m not sure how good I’d be at that, but yeah! Sounds fun!”

“Bet we can invite a few others too,” Leon puffs out his chest, looking around to see if anyone was coming around who would want to join. “Those two...Ogami and Hina, they’d want to join, right? I’m sure Sayaka would want to come watch too,” 

“We’ll have to find Mondo...wherever he went,” 

“Ya think Taka would want to play? Seems like he’s too busy bossing people around already though…”

“I think he would want to supervise at least...maybe someone could rope him into playing with us too,”

With our laundry now finished, I pass it back to everyone’s I had taken, and Leon changes out of his pajamas. We traverse around the school and the hotel area, fetching as many people as we can, Leon trying his best to pitch the idea of a few fun matches. Ultimately, we sway a few people, and we are all parading into the expanse of the gym, thankfully not spotting that bear around anywhere. Picking up a basketball, Leon tries to spin it on his finger, but it falls right down onto the ground. 

“Creating two fair teams is our first order of business!” Taka shouts, and everyone moves into pairs or groups of three, already deciding who they want to be placed with. “First! We must choose two captains who can choose the teams! How about…” Taka presses his eyes shut to think. 

“Me!” Leon and Mondo shout in unison, then glare at each other. “No, choose me!”

“They’re just like a set of in sync twins!” Sayaka grins, and Leon sends her an adoring look. 

“I’m not sure that’s an accurate comparison,” Makoto chuckles.

I step forward when I see Taka looking conflicted between the two fuming guys. “There’s two captains, so both of you can be one,”

“Great idea, Etsuko! I was just about to suggest something similar!” Taka nods, and Leon and Mondo shove each other a little before walking to two separate spots, looking over the small crowd that has gathered. “Now, since both of you are pretty strong, choose someone weaker to be a part of your team to balance it out!”

“Someone weak?” Leon mumbles, looking right at Sayaka, and Mondo points to someone who is standing bashfully near Makoto. 

“Get over here, Chihiro!” Mondo announces, and Chihiro flushes as she waddles over to Mondo, who fist bumps her as she walks past. 

The red head beams, “Sayaka!” 

“Alright!” Sayaka jumps in the air, rushing to get behind Leon, “First choice is the best!”

Taka chops his arm in the air, “Now choose an average person for the team!”

“Makoto, he’s like the definition of average, right?” Mondo confers with Chihiro, who nods, and the Ultimate Lucky Student frowns as he joins the group, probably taking the comment as an offense. 

Leon’s eyes are on me, a smile still on his face, “Etsuko!” he calls, so I shuffle over, receiving a high five from Sayaka.

“This is going to be super fun, right?” she says, and I nod, blushing as she grabs my hands to shorten the distance between us. “We’re gonna win this!”

“Yup!’ I gulp, and she releases me, and I watch Junko join Mondo’s group. Leon’s next choice is Hina, who bounds over to us with a skip in her step. “Hey Hina!”

“Hey girls! I’m so excited, I used to play basketball all the time with my brother!”

“You’ve got tons of leg and arm strength, right? So you should be able to shoot really well,” I murmur, and she nods, sticking up an arm to flex. 

“You know it!”

Next, Hiro is sauntering over, clapping Leon on the shoulder. On the other team, Sakura has her arms crossed as she smiles down at Chihiro. Man, they got Sakura, so they are definitely going to win! Hina greets Hiro, but not as enthused as she was before, probably because we don’t have the Ultimate Martial Artist. A happy Leon turns to us, nodding at the team he has made, “I mean, we’ve got some all around strong people, while they’ve only got like two power houses, so I think we can do this!”

“Wait, who is a power house other than Sakura?” I ask, Hina saying something similar. 

Leon looks confused, “Mondo, have you not seen that guy’s muscles?”

“Oh right, I had forgotten already,” I shrug, feeling stupid that I hadn’t recalled the fight Leon had run away from earlier. We get assigned out positions, Hina cheering about taking the job as point guard because Leon is too shy to ask to take it for himself. When Taka throws the ball in the air, Hiro doesn’t stand a chance at hitting it to his team against Sakura’s immense strength and height. She taps it in Mondo’s direction, who dribbles the ball, his toned arms bare of his long jacket. Charging forward, I notice how he’s so focused on getting to the other side of the court and to the basket, that the ball is sloppily being hit. Racing forward, my legs pump and I slap it away before he can change his direction. Teeth grit, I chase after the ball, controlling it as Makoto jogs back to stop me. Flustered, I stop at the three point line, Makoto now in front of me with his arms spread out wide. Pivoting, I try to look for an open person, but they’re still trying to lose their marks. All I really have is one option, so I jump in the air and fling the ball at the net, knowing it will surely miss, but hoping someone will catch the rebound. Hiro and Leon are flying through the air for it, but Sakura quickly grabs it before them and passes it forward, in the direction of Mondo, but Hina intercepts, dribbling forward and shooting quickly. She jumps more than a foot in the air, Makoto and I both gasping at the ball when it swooshes perfectly into the net. 

“Woohoo!” Hina pumps her fist in the air, and my team runs back, each taking a turn congratulating her. I look back to see Mondo coming down the court, his eyes digging into me. He goes down the opposite side of the court, and I make sure I'm covering Makoto, who looks utterly confused with what he is supposed to be doing. Leon tries to snatch the ball away, but Mondo has already passed him, leaving Sayaka to do the job of stopping him. Her attempt is just as futile, and they score. Leon passes it in, and Hina takes her time to go down past half-court. Sakura is grinning down at her, using her massive arms to block Hina’s vision of anything, until Hina bounces it through the larger girls legs, leaving it to someone to pick the ball up. I take the chance and grab it, immediately facing Junko and Mondo, one just holding her hands out so she can’t damage a nail, the other trying to shove me over and swipe at the ball. 

“Etsuko! Here!” I hear Leon behind me, and I swivel around, passing it to him and he jumps and throws the ball at the net, but not in the proper form. It whips at the square, but bounces straight off of it and into Hiro’s arms. As the ball was in the air, I took the chance to create some space between me and the defenders. Confused, Hiro throws it up too, but it just bounces off the rim, and three of us jump up to catch it. Mondo and I both have a hand on it, and he tries to pull it close to his chest, but both my hands are already clasped onto it too, and we tug it back and forth between us, until I feel a sharp pain on my foot, and I see Mondo has stepped on it. 

A sharp whistle breaks through the room, and I drop the ball from my hands, looking to Taka, who is now calling a foul on Mondo. Now, it’s my job to make two penalty shots, and I stare nervously at the high net. All I ever was really good for was layups and steals, and I never liked practicing from the foul line. Leon comes over to pat me on the back, then he leans over close to my ear, so I can hear his voice above Mondo, who is cursing at Taka. 

“You’ve got this, don’t worry about it!”

Then, he takes his place in a square near the hoop. After dribbling the ball a few times, I shoot the ball through the air, watching it fall down in an ark, hit the top of the white square, and bounce away. Taka throws it back to me, and I feel my heat pound. My leg twitches, and my breaths shorten. Eyes flickering to Leon, he winks at me, his knees bent and lips curled. The second shot flies through the air, and Leon jumps up high, putting his hand on the back of the ball and slamming it into the net. 

“I’m unsure of the rules of this game, how many points was that worth?” Taka asks, and Mondo responds with a gritted ‘two.’

As Leon jogs over to me, he tugs on a bunch of strands of my hair to get my attention. “Told ya!”

“No, that was all you, that was crazy,” My eyes are wide, my voice expressing my awe. Flutters in my stomach, I watch him wipe at the sweat on his forehead. “You’re amazing Leon!”

“Yeah, well-“

“Leon! That was crazy!” Sayaka pats him on the back, and Leon’s face flushes a red, eyes taken by the glowing girl. “Etsuko, you did great too! You worked so well together! Was that planned?”

I blush dark at her comment, stepping away from the proud pair. “No, Leon’s just cool like that,” Unable to take the both of them staring at me, I jog back to my position, shaking my head. A strain is already pulling at my thighs, but I figure I’ll be alright.

Mondo has stopped at the three point line, ball thumping back between his hand and the shiny floor. “Junko!” He calls out, pushing his hands toward the shocked girl. But before he releases the ball, he switches the direction to the net, jumping up and going for a lucky shot. It misses, but Junko gets the rebound, and I try my best to block her shot, but it swerves through the air then the net. I catch it, passing the line to quickly set up our offense. Hina dribbles quickly as I jog to catch up with her pace, and when we get to the three point line she passes to me, and I push it forward, hearing Leon call my name. Chihiro is guarding the area between us, but I easily toss it over her head, only for Makoto to step in front of Leon with his hands up, intercepting at just the right moment before he dribbles the ball and makes a lay-up. 

“Nice Makoto!” I say as I walk past him to pass the ball in. 

“It was just lucky, right place right time,” he shrugs, voice airy and humorous. 

“Don’t discredit yourself like that, it was super cool. Leon never saw it coming!”

“Ah, I guess you’re right, thanks,” he waves and moves back to his position. This time when Hina dribbles the ball down, she passes to Leon, moving to the center for another pass, but Leon is already jumping up for a shot, Mondo busy shoving over Hina under the net. The ball swirls around the rim, teasing us all before falling inside and swishing the net. 

“Good job, Leon!”

Sakura takes down the ball, but gets intimidated by Hina’s smirk or something, because her dribbles become sloppy and Hina is able to steal, and I jog ahead so she has the option to pass. She takes it, and I toss up a lay up like Makoto had. We high five, ignoring Mondo’s glare. A small argument among the other team’s players breaks out, Makoto and Chihiro stepping away from the confrontation. Eventually, they must decide on Junko taking down the ball, and she does, pressing her fingertips against the ball lightly, but still keeping it close to her, bouncing it in a smooth rhythm. Hina doesn’t stop her as she passes to Chihiro, who catches the ball but does nothing with it, standing still with paralyzing fear. 

“Chihiro!” Makoto steps in front of me, and I allow him some space as Chihiro bounces it across the court to him. Right before it can reach his hands, I cut in front of him, slapping it forward so I can catch up. Leon already sees what I’m doing and is running after the ball, and I leave him to it when I see him beating Mondo to it. When he goes for a shot, it misses, and thankfully Hina is there to throw it up again, and she doesn’t miss. 

Back and forth, we steal and shoot and rebound, and when Taka calls halftime each of us have worked up a heavy sweat. Except for maybe Sayaka, who is still pristine like she had just gotten ready for the day. 

“We need to close the gap,” Leon has a tight fist in the air, and Sayaka pounds hers against his playfully. “Sakura is really beating all our asses,”

“Yeah, we need something to counter her!” Hina enthuses, but none of us know who would be best until Leon speaks again.

“A good defender would be perfect. I thought Hina had done well a couple times, but over time her strategy stopped working against her. Who is good enough for it?”

“Yeah, I’m really more of a shooter,” Hina chuckles, pointing to the water fountain. “You guys decide, I’ll be back,”

Pressing a towel to his forehead, Hiro sighs, “I have no specialty in this game, so not me,”

“Sayaka?” Leon offers, but the blue haired girl shakes her head.

“I like catching the rebounds and staying close to the basket,”

“Wait! I got it!” Leon grins devilishly.

I guess, “Yourself?”

“No, no, you Etsuko! Well use you! You’ve made some good steals out there!”

“Ah, no, it’s only easy to steal when your opponent isn’t as focused or as strong as Sakura is. I don’t see why we can’t have the person with most sports experience do this,”

“Hina already said no,”

“I meant you, Leon,”

“Oh,” he scratches at the hair at the back of his head, the sweat on his neck plastering it close to his skin. “I’ll try my best, then,”

Heading into the second half, Leon bounces back and forth, trying to block Sakura, but she easily scores a three from her spot a little past half court. Dribbling down, Hina’s eyes dart around for options, and ultimately she passes over to Hiro, who is unsuccessfully being blocked by Chihiro. Hiro tosses the ball, not bothering to release the ball overhead, instead it barely makes it past his torso before his hands fling away. It doesn’t make it in, and Sayaka leaps up for a rebound against Mondo. Another two points are counted for the other team, and this time Hina passes to me, and I fly it at Leon, who dribbles through the defense and tries to score. It takes three shots for us to get any points. Chihiro now is bouncing the ball, approaching at the pace of a tortoise. She looks too nervous, so she passes it to Makoto, and I slap it away from its path, letting Leon run by to retrieve the ball. We score another two. 

The final five minutes of the game are intense, my team trying as hard as we can to close the gap , but the disparity only grows wider, Mondo and Sakura easily overpowering us with their brute height and strength. Still, we’re smiling, sweat glistening down our skin. High fives and congratulations are passed between us, everyone whooping when Chihiro finally throws the ball at the net, even though it doesn’t go in. In the end, we lose by a two digit margin, but everyone is happy, smiles on their faces. Leon and Sayaka are jumping around, still celebrating their plays together. I’m going to get some water with Makoto and Chihiro, who are both pressing towels to their foreheads. I tug at the stringy hairs plastered to my forehead, before flinging them around with my hand in hopes of making them not so clung together. 

“You did good, Etsuko, I’m surprised,” Makoto smiles as Chihiro leans down to the bubbler, her lips forming and ‘o’ to catch the water. 

“I’m surprised at myself too,” I giggle, “It was tough blocking you in the second half man, I let you by so many times!”

His two jackets are wrapped tightly around his waist, his tank top sticking against his thin frame. I hadn’t noticed before that he’s wearing a blazer  _ and  _ a hoodie, and the look reminds me of Hiro’s double jackets. He tugs them tighter around his waist before taking Chihiro’s spot at the fountain. 

“Great job, Chihiro! You and Sayaka fought so hard over the ball, it was crazy!” I put a hand on her shoulder. My face is flushed bright red for exhaustion, sweat dripping down my brow. Playing in my sweater wasn’t a good idea, but no it’s too late to go back and change. 

“You really think so?” Chihiro bashfully looks away from me, and I grin. 

“Of course dude! You played so hard!”

Chihiro blushes, hands clasping in front of her chest as she smiles wide, “Thanks! You did good as well!”

Makoto straightens from where he was drinking, wiping at his wet lips. Next, I lean over, the water cool and refreshing. Relief flows through my veins, my heart rate slowing down as I take the chance to hydrate. Swallowing, the cool liquid flows down my throat, and I sigh as I step away, tongue licking at the spare drops on my rosy mouth. 

“Yo guys! Great job out there!” Leon and Sayaka are approaching us, Leon’s silver eyes flickering to my face. I fix my sweater, one side has fallen down my arm, exposing the patchy skin there. Leon punches Makoto’s back, showering the shorter boy in compliments about specific plays. 

“Heya Chihiro!” Hina jogs over to us, red jacket flying out behind her as she grips it loosely in one hand. One strap of her white tank top has fallen down her shoulder, and she plays with it when she halts in front of us. “Your team was stacked! That was so fun!” The two engage in conversation, the other three all talking about how great Makoto is.

Awkwardly, I shuffle away, taking the chance to slip out of the gym, immediately sighing and slumping against the wall of the display room. It looks like someone’s gone through the shelves, a few missing things from it from the first time I had passed by. Fingerprints are pressed against the glass, as if a child had come by to gape at the trophies and trinkets like they were animals at a zoo. My shoulders relax, and my breaths slow. Being surrounded by so many people for so long had been exhausting, constantly exchanging words and greetings, and I hope I didn’t forget to stop by to talk to anyone. Embarrassment pangs in my head, a sudden headache taking its place at the front of my skull. I press a hand there, the heat on my palm making it more excruciating. While attempting to take deep breaths, I realize how pungent my smell is, the sweat covering my skin repulsive. I hadn’t noticed it inside the gym, but surely someone must have noticed how disgusting I was. I try to move away from my spot against the cool wall, but my legs weaken, flopping me onto the ground, and my head knocks hard against the stiff board behind me. My hands fold in between my thighs, which look slightly swollen with pain. It has been a while since a workout like that. No one had the chance to get benched, so running around for forty minutes straight had been a strain on every muscle in my body. The rolls of my stomach trap beads of sweat, my sweater containing the heat there. For a moment, I sit there, head pounding, chest wracking, before I feel the strength return to my legs, and I am able to stand again. As fast as my legs allow me, I run out of the room, past the classrooms, past the place Mondo and Leon had fought, and into my dorm, locking the door behind me before throwing my sweater off, so I am left in my shorts and bra, which is still itchy. Stepping into the bathroom, I let down my hair, then run my hands through some water, washing them well with soap, scrubbing until it stings. Splashing water onto my face, I heave out a shaky breath, my eyes locking with the girl in the mirror. My lip twitches, and I tug at the skin at my neck. My face is still a bright red, so I grab a towel, run it under the faucet, then press it onto my face, sniffling. When I finally feel relief, I unfold and fold the towel so I can press it to my chest, the navy lace of my bra darkening with drops of water. In a weird way, the cool cloth burns against my heaving chest. My exhaustion is still raw, everytime I think I have tamed my breathing it starts to go sporadic again. When I have finally cooled off, I run my hair in the shower, craning only my head so no other part of me gets wet. Finally expelled from the stench, I smile at myself, my top lip thinning against my teeth. I clamp my lips shut. Outside, I grab my sweater, smelling it before recoiling my head, the fabric of it is now ingrained with the bad smell. I’ll have to wash it with my nightclothes, so I tug on my other sweater, relieved that it seems a little thinner than the other one. Outside of my room, I toss my dirty clothes in the washer before feeling a sting at the back of my throat. _Water._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you so much for reading! i hope you enjoyed the chapter, sorry if the game was too repetitive or boring, i wanted to include some kind of "normal" schoolish experience for them. i didn't think i would be able to write too much about them just searching around the school, and i enjoy having all the characters interact. i hope you like it too! lots of love <3


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! So sorry for the late update, I was busy with school stuff and didn't have time to go through this chapter to make sure it was good enough to post! Anyway, I hope you enjoy!

I’m shocked to find the dining room full of people, already seated together and engaged in lively conversations. Looming in the small hallway to the room, Byakuya sneers down at me, then grimaces at the happy groups. 

“Hey Byakuya,” I say, looking at him curiously. 

He doesn’t spare me an answer. 

“Have you had lunch yet?”

Lip twitching, his eyes look to me, his disgust held in his blue irises. “It doesn’t matter to commoners like you,”

“Ah, I see,” I nod, but stay near him by the doorway. “Want some coffee or something?”

Scoffing, he shakes his head pityingly. “I wouldn’t need someone like you to make it for me. And those hogs already tried giving me some repulsive lowly meal.”

“It was okay the last time I made it, right?”

“I don’t know if you’re trying to poison me, so I refuse any offer,”

“Didn’t kill you the first time,” I shrug, stepping away. 

“Slow acting poison, or maybe you wanted to build some trust between us,” 

A small laugh escapes me, “It’s not so bad being able to trust someone. Not everyone wants to hurt you,” I can hear the clicks of his shoes as he leaves.

Inside the kitchen, I’m alone, and I pour myself a large glass of ice water, downing it in one gulp. Then I down another glass. On my third, I stop myself, looking around for something a little more filling than the most basic necessity. I end up with a plate of cheese and crackers, finding myself not as hungry as I am dehydrated. With my food and water, I leave the kitchen, immediately spotting Leon at his table, telling a story with sweeping hand motions to Makoto, Taka, Mondo, Hiro, and Chihiro. Hina is energetically waving me over, so I rush to her table and take a seat between her and Sayaka.

“I was trying to get an all girls table, but Chihiro had already sat down with the guys, and I don’t want to interrupt her,” Hina explains, and I nod. “We were going to all talk about who the hottest person here is!”

I flush, “Oh, really?”

“It’s me, obviously,” Junko twirls a pigtail around her fingers, grinning at the rest of us. “It was a joke,”

“Alright! I’ll go second then! The hottest person here is definitely…” Hina purses her lips, humming in thought before answering. “Sakura! Definitely!”

The buff girl next to Hina looks away bashfully, distracting herself by taking a drink from her white bottle. 

“Why’s that?” Sayaka asks, her tone gentle and curious. It’s clear that she doesn’t mean any harm by her question, which makes Hina bounce up and down in her seat, ready to enthuse about the girl sitting next to her. 

“Well, she’s so super muscular! And her hair is so pretty and long too! Plus, that scar on her face makes her look _so_ badass!”Hina’s hands ball into fists as she waves them side to side excitedly. “She’s definitely the coolest in my opinion,”

Sakura nearly chokes on her drink, but says, “Thank you, Hina. I didn’t know you thought so highly of me.”

Hina grasps Sakura’s bicep, “Don’t be silly, I could give you compliments all day!”

“Alright, Etsuko, do you want to go next?” Sayaka asks, setting her head in her propped up hand. 

“Oh, well,” My eyes dart over to the other full table, then at the pretty girls sitting all around me. This is a tough question, but one person immediately appears at the front of my mind, but I shake the thought away. “Everyone here is so cool, but for the hottest I’d have to say...maybe...uh, Kirigiri, the purple haired girl,”

“Oh yeah! She’s sooo pretty!” Sayaka smiles, and Hina nods, “Good choice,”

“My turn then!” Sayaka perks up, standing up straighter in her seat. “I’ll definitely have to go with Makoto, or maybe Byakuya, he has that whole rich kid thing going on...or maybe even…” she trails off, eyes rolling upward to think. After a moment of silence, she still hasn’t remembered. 

“Leon?” I suggest, “You’ve spent some time with him, right?”

“Yeah! Yeah, Leon is cool,” She doesn’t sound as excited, and it makes me frown. “But also Taka, Taka is cool,”

Hina makes an affirming noise, “And Junko’s answer was herself, so let’s move on to Sakura!”

“No doubt, the,” she coughs, “‘hottest’ person here is Hina,”

Immediately, Hina covers her cheeks, shaking her head side to side with a smile. “Ahh! Sakura, stop flattering me so much!”

“It is just the truth,”

They smile at each other sweetly until Juko makes a gagging sound, “Get a room or something,” She’s grinning widely, and Hina laughs while Sakura looks embarrassed. 

“Alright! That was fun, wasn’t it!” Hina cheers, and I nod, my mouth full with some bland crackers. “Okay, but playing basketball reminded me of this CRAZY story, where my brother and I…”

Attentive, each of us lean forward for her story, about how her brother had challenged her to a game but was absolutely crushed, and she ended up versing all his friends until she was proven the best of all of them. With the skills she had shown off in the game, it wasn’t surprising. By the time she starts talking about the time her brother and her had swam away from a shark when they were younger, I have finished my meal, my plate left with a few cracker crumbs. I stay for the rest of her story before excusing myself, going to the kitchen to drop off my and Sayaka’s dirty dishes.

As I leave the room, someone tugs on the back of my sweater, and I turn to see Makoto standing there. “Hi,”

“Hey, do you know where Sayaka went?”

“No, sorry,” I shake my head, and Makoto murmurs a thanks before walking away. Leon is quick to take his spot in front of me. “Hi?”

“Etsuko, where’s Sayaka at? Weren’t you with her a moment ago?” Leon asks, a grin twisting his lips. I press a finger to the corner of his mouth, rubbing at the sauce splattered there. “Huh? What are you doing?”

“You got something right there. And I don’t know where she went. Makoto is looking for her too if you want to go with him,” I shrug, taking my hand back, my face flushing. 

Leon wipes his wrist at the spot of red sauce, although he is careful not to get any on his pristine sleeve. “Thanks! But I think I’ll just go on my own. What do you think is up with those two?”

Shrugging, I answer, “I think they’re just friends. Maybe they knew each other before, but that’s a little funny to think about, since she’s a famous idol and everything,”

He nods. “You’re right. What’d you and the girls talk about?”

“Oh, not much, Hina just told stories about her and her brother,”

“Nothing juicy?” He perks his eyebrows up and down, trying to wave them suggestively. It makes me laugh.

“No. It was just a fun conversation. What’d you talk about?”

“Not much, just stuff about what we did before we came here,”

I mimic his earlier question, “Nothing juicy?”

Playfully, he punches my shoulder, chuckling lightly. “Nah, well, maybe, but I won’t tell you,”

“Ah, come on Leon! Don’t make it sound so mysterious!” 

Walking by me, he winks, “See ya later!” 

Left on my own, I remember the task I had been given last night, and rush to my room to start on it. First, I begin on Byakuya’s curiously shaped “nether garments,” careful to follow the shape he had printed on the paper. It doesn’t seem very long until I have a set of them done, and I start on some pajamas. My mind is clouded, and I stare down at my work blankly, my practiced fingers making the task seem menial and easy, so easy that my thoughts are able to drift off to something completely separate from the thing I am working on. Flashes of bright red cross my mind, along with a striking silver. Eventually, the color of ripe berries swirls down into a bright pink, streaking across my mind, and I am shocked out of my daydream, my needle still moving through the fabric. Biting onto my lower lip, I make sure not to drift off again, quickly finishing his pajamas, just to start work on an identical pair. Despite his cold attitude and haughty arrogance, I find myself more than willing to pour myself into my work, to give him the perfect set of clothes, to dismiss any lingering warm thought and instead replace it with the tedious task at hand. My eyes squint down at the small, precise stitches, and I don’t notice the time whizzing by as I cut out the pieces needed to make him a spare suit. Miraculously, I had found a perfect match to the dark evergreen color of his suit, and eventually I have an entire blazer in my hands, and now I set on working on a set of abnormally long pants. When my stomach rumbles, the noise is so loud in the stillness of my room that I accidentally prick my finger, but not very hard. Standing up, I gaze proudly down at all I have accomplished, and refold all of my finished pieces into a neat pile. I find a large enough bag for the things, and set them inside, a smile still on my face. Now, all I have to do was deliver what I have finished so far then go eat something. It is a pleasant afternoon, and soon it will slip into the evening. My first guess of where he could be is in his room, but when I ring the bell I receive no answer. Before I can notice her approach, Toko is standing next to me. 

“Toko! Hello there,” I smile, but she just looks nervously between me and the door. 

“H-h-hello, what d-do you think you are doing at B-Byakuya’s door?” she points at me, as if accusing me of an awful crime. 

I hold up my bag, still swelling with pride. “I have something to deliver,”

“O-oh, I see,” Her neat teeth clamp down on her thumb, “It isn’t some k-kind of wh-whorish service, is it?”

Taken aback, I step away from her, jaw slackening with surprise. What was that supposed to mean? “What? I just have some stuff for him,”

“W-will you let me take a look inside then?” She reaches out for the bag, but I hold it away from her, shaking my head. 

“I promise it isn’t anything like you suggested,” 

“I n-need to confirm!”

Walking away from her, I sigh. Stress has made my temple tense, but now I am relieved of it, seeing that she isn’t trying to trail after me. The empty pit in my stomach grows, and I try to guess where else Togami could be spending his time. Checking in the laundry room, then the dining hall and kitchen, I notice he isn’t in the Despair Hotel. Next, I pass by each classroom, only to find him tracing a hand down one of the steel panels on a window. When the door swings open, his eyes flicker over to my meek form

“Hello, Togami, I have some of your things,”

Sounding exasperated, he gives me an impatient sigh. “Did I not want you to be discreet about this?”

“Oh,” I stop in my stride toward him, lowering the bag in shame. “I had just figured I could give you what I had finished while I was going to go to the dining hall.”

“It’s disgraceful that you couldn’t follow my simple orders.” He turns to look directly down at me, his back to the window. Hesitant, I hold out the bag. Taking it, he is careful that our hands don’t touch, then he nods his head to the door. “Close it,”

Doing as he says, I miss his expression when he opens the bag. “It isn’t everything, but I wanted to give you what I’ve made so far,”

Picking up some of the things, he holds it out in front of him, setting the rest on a desk. One brow cocks upward, and he looks the thing up and down, then me. Slowly, he goes through every item, and I look away when he grabs his nether garments. “You made all this today?”

“Yes, sorry if it’s not as much as you expected,”

He makes a small snickering noise, which drags my attention back to his haughty expression. “I was thinking you might have wanted me to be pleasantly surprised when presented with all this. It is curious how you got all this done. Did you work from this morning until now?”

“Well, I didn’t work on it until after my lunch, that’s why it isn’t all completed.”

“What were you doing this morning?”

“I was with Leon,” I shrug, figuring if I explain about the basketball game he would be displeased, considering it a waste of time. 

“Disappointing, someone like you hanging around with that idiot. Clearly you can be of some use to others, but you waste your time.”

“To me, it’s not a waste of time. And he isn’t an idiot either,”

“Don’t tell me, you are a moron too?”

I keep my mouth shut, unsure how to answer that. After I had spent so long on what he had requested, this is the response I get? Really, what had I been expecting from the Ultimate Affluent Progeny? Not any form of kindness.

“Well, I will accept these, though I do expect the rest of what I wanted to be given to me before the nighttime announcement.” He delicately sets the things back inside the bag, then turns to the window and resumes his inspection of it. It’s one of the same windows I had tried to screw loose with the others. 

Leaving the classroom, I see a flash of movement down the hall, and it piques my curiosity. Trying not to be too suspicious, I turn around the corner the figure went, and see Toko approaching me. Her eyes are wide behind her circular frames, her legs moving furiously beneath her skirt, which whips side to side as she runs down the hall. When she catches sight of me, she trips forward, and I catch her in my arms, hurriedly setting her upright. 

“You alright?” I ask, rubbing one hand up her arm. 

She slaps me away, “Yes,” She spots the absence of my bag. “D-did you find Byakuya?”

“Uhm,” I debate telling her the truth. Togami had wanted to keep it a secret, so I try my best to lie. “I just dropped it off somewhere, it actually wasn’t all that important to give to him. I won’t really care if someone else finds it and picks it up, it was kind of heavy anyways.”

I can't tell if she buys it or not, she just grabs at her head in frustration and stalks away from me.

I’m alone at the dining hall, and in the kitchen too. Settling on curry, I let the sizzle of the pan drone out the thoughts in my head. My methodical chopping at an assortment of vegetables keeps me from drifting off and away. It’s starkly different from the other times I’ve come here to prepare food, and I figure that isn’t a bad thing. Taking time to myself is something I’m used to, being alone for whole days being the normal. But now that I’ve spent so much time with someone, my heart can’t help but long for their company. I try to keep the thing inside of me calm, trying to think of how this is how my usual evening at home goes. This is just like all the times I’ve prepared a solitary meal for myself. While I stare down at my finished plate, the sound of someone’s victorious laughter echoes and infects my head. Looking around, I don’t see the owner anywhere, and I realize it’s just my mind trying to comfort itself amidst the loneliness. I scoop some rice between my open lips , the bland taste sticking to the roof of my mouth. The melodious laughter in my head becomes louder, and I try to shake the sound out of me, but once I’ve replayed it in my head, the loop won’t stop. The familiarity of it tickles me, makes my heart skip a beat, but it doesn’t make sense. None of it does. How could I already be taking such a liking to someone despite knowing them for only a couple days? There’s something wrong with me. All this will end up with is pain. Maybe this loneliness isn’t so bad, I can fully distance myself from the pang in my heart, the flutter in my stomach that will only end up in a dead end. Soon I will wake up, at home, alone, ready to take on another monotonous day. All this is just a nightmare. Somewhere where I had tricked myself into liking someone, caring for them more than anything else. It is sick and disgusting, it has only been three days. Soon, he’ll be gone, happy with himself and his own friends, away from me. Soon, he’ll start to spend less time with me, he’ll leave me for someone else, more exciting and shiny. I am rusted, dirty, gross. Everyone else in the world has such a brighter and finer polish, while I had been left in the dump to rot, like I deserved. He didn’t deserve to have a leech sucked onto the side of him, trying to drain him of his energy and love. The happiness I feel near him, the spark I had wanted to be there, I didn't deserve it at all. Desolate, in this kitchen is what feels right and familiar. This is right. The solitary shine of the kitchen, the tasteless rice in my mouth, the bear emptiness of my stomach. All I have to do is calm the skip in my heart when thinking of him, and I will be rid of this curse. He will be rid of me. Something is wrong here, how drawn I am to his lovely voice. How his presence feels like a warm embrace around my shaking bones.

The rice sticks in my throat. For a moment, I don’t notice. Until I’m hacking it out, on the silver counter, next to my neat plate. Coughing over and over, the sharp wind scratches my throat, and when I finally expel the rice, it’s mixed with a neon pink. It makes me gag, the hilarity of all this. Quickly, I clean my mess, and take my plate to hurry out of the area. Alone, in my room, that will fix this. Alone with my food and myself and my thoughts. I will be able to use my sense to fix this. I will be able to fix myself. When I reach my room, I set my plates down, my hand reaching down at my thigh, hiking my shorts upward to scratch at the skin there. At first, it hurts, but then I become numb, and my chipped nails won’t stop. Slumping down onto my bed, my eyes become glossy, and drops fall onto my lenses. I tear off my glasses, throwing them across the room. Everywhere, I feel a deep ache. So large and gaping, I feel it will swallow me up. I hope it does, so I’ll never have to face another day here again, so I won’t have to ever face the person who makes me feel so weird again. So I’ll never be able to hurt and disappoint another person. 

Five sharp rings of the doorbell is what it takes for me to get up, rubbing at the sickly purple and yellow patch on my leg. I pull my pants over it as I open the door, my mind a haze. 

“Yo! Etsuko!” His voice rings loud and clear through the fog in my head. “Someone made curry, want some!?” In his hand is a plate, full and steaming. Someone else must have made a meal for everyone, how thoughtful.

“Yeah, sure,” I grab the plate, not caring when it stings my palm with heat. “Thanks, Leon,” 

“No problem! How about we eat together!” His smile is bright and careless, the glow of it making me wince in frustration. Why have I been so mean to him? Why have I taken so much of his precious time? “Hey, Etsuko, what happened with your glasses? Is there something wrong?”

Glancing up at his narrowed eyes, I answer, “No, I’m really excited to eat this!” There must be something wrong with my voice, because he steps inside further, shutting the door gently behind him. “What’s wrong?”

“You tell me,” Leon shrugs, his voice holding unrestrained concern. It’s low and soft, like if he talks too loud I will shatter. Maybe I will, given how fierce the tremble in my body has become. 

“I’ve just been here, hanging out,” I shrug. One of his brows perks upward, and he takes a seat on the bed, patting the empty place next to him. Confused, I stand awkwardly in front of him. “What?”

“Take a seat, please,”

I do so, his hand pressing against my back and rubbing up and down. It’s a pleasant feeling. My mind is fuzzy, and I hear myself say, “Thanks for saving me a spot,”

His hand pauses as he listens to me. “What? Etsuko did something happen?”

Sternly, I shake my head. “No, what are you talking about?”

His hands find my shoulders, turning my towards him, eyes searching frantically in mine. Something inside of my chest breaks, twisting in pain. 

“Did I do something? What did I do? Why are you hurt?” I ask, taking his face in my hands before releasing it, as if it were a hot coal. 

“Etsuko,” he shakes me, “Etsuko, please tell me what’s going on, this isn’t normal,” his voice has raised a pitch, and I turn my head downward, ashamed.

“I didn’t mean to make you angry. I’m so sorry.” 

“No, no, I’m not angry baby, I’m not angry, I’m just confused,” his voice has returned to soft and concerned, gentle. 

“Why?”

“Why what?”

“Why are you confused?”

He squeezes me, I barely feel it. “Because you’re acting weird, Etsuko!”

“I am? I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to,” I apologize again, nudging away one of his hands.

“Etsuko, can you tell me what you were up to while I wasn’t here?”

“Oh, I was just hanging out,” My mind feels vacant as I try to recall the events of my day. “I started working on Byakuya’s things, and then I delivered it to him, and I ran into Toko on the way. Then I was hungry, so I went to the kitchen, and then I, well I...I grabbed a snack...and it...it tasted...well after that I came here and, and I was just, just hanging out, that’s all!”

“Byakuya? When did Byakuya ask you for something?”

“Oh, I wasn’t supposed to say, sorry. I didn’t mean to expose him like that, what if he hates me now?”

Leon shakes his head, “What did you eat?”

“Oh, well obviously I had...hold on…I had…” I try to remember, picking apart my memory, but it’s all hazy. Everything’s wrong. There’s nothing in my head about me eating something recently. All I had was lunch, then I did Byakuya’s thing, but after that… “I can't remember, I’m sorry,”

He frowns. “Don’t be sorry,”

“But I’m doing everything wrong,” I explain, desperate for him to understand. “I haven’t been nice to you, I’ve just been taking up your time, and I’m not even nice or exciting, like the others are, and then I told you about Byakuya, and now I can’t even answer your questions! I’m doing so bad,”

He takes a few deep breaths, chest heaving up and down, eyes shut. He’s so stressed, and it’s all my fault. 

“I’m sorry, do you need a nap?” 

“No, no, I’m good, I’m just really worried over you,”

His words arouse a sharp jut in my emotions. “I told you not to be,” My voice is raised, angry and firm.

Shaking his head, he says, “You’re asking me to do something impossible, I can’t help but worry about you! Especially now, because of all this,” he motions to my face and my torso, his eyes flickering down to my leg. His eyes stay trained on my thigh, and I look to see a strange bruise there, where my shorts have been pushed upward. His voice is harsh, words pointed, “Etsuko, what did I tell you? Why would you...someone didn’t do this to you, right?” 

“I don’t know, I don’t remember, no one would do that, I don’t know what that is,” I rush out, and Leon gets off the bed, opening the bathroom door and slamming it behind him. And it’s all my fault, he’s so upset and it’s all my fault, all my fault, all my fault, all my fault. He’s hurting because of me. Soon, he’ll be gone because of me, just like everyone else. Why had I inserted myself so insistently in his life? I press my memory for what had happened earlier, but the pounding in it just heightens as I try to think of what had happened once I left Toko in the hallway. When Leon returns, a vein shows at his temple, and he walks back over to me, his steps staggering. 

“Byakuya...didn’t do anything to you, right?”

I shake my head fervently. 

“Can you remember the entire time you spent with him?”

I nod, “He insulted me, but took the things, and I left, and Toko was there, but then she left too. It wasn’t very interesting.”

“Okay, okay,” Leon paces back and forth in front of me. “Did you see anyone after that,”

“No. I was alone,”

“Okay, so there’s only…” he gulps, “I thought I had told you about this, why didn’t you listen to me?”

“What?”

He looks at me, eyes narrowed still, before kneeling in front of me and putting a hand on my bruise, palm barely touching my skin. “This, I told you to stop hurting yourself here, but it just got worse, this...this isn’t because of me, right?”

“No, you haven’t done anything wrong, I think I might have just bumped into something,” I shrug. 

“I want to believe that, but this is worse than that,” Shaking his head, he sits back on the bed, “I don’t want you to be in pain,”

“Thank you, I’m sorry,”

“What? Etsuko, just...just listen to me,”

I start to say something, but nod instead. 

“I am going to worry about you, that can’t be changed. I care about you, and I’m worried right now. I show up here, and you start saying nonsense, it’s like you’re in a different world. Like you aren’t in the same place as I am. And you’re usually so focused. And then you can’t remember anything that happened, and I see this weird bruise on the spot you would pinch, and you keep apologizing. I’m so confused, and you are too, but I...I need to know why this happened,”

“I’m sorry,” I murmur after he finishes. “I’m sorry, I can’t tell you, I really can’t remember, all I remember is going to the kitchen, then I’m here, and I was thinking about you, I was thinking about you, and I was eating something, and I came back here and I was thinking about you.” As I stumble over my words, I remember what I had been thinking about in the kitchen, and I flinch. “I wasn’t thinking of you in a bad way, I think I was just thinking about the day, but then I get back here, and I have no idea what’s going on until I open the door,”

His silver eyes are wide, and I notice the thin line of water resting on his lower eyelid, and how his lip is trembling. “You’re telling the truth?”

“Yes,” I nod. 

“Alright, alright,” he falls forward, pulling me into his chest, his arms tight around my torso. His shoulders bob up and down, and I hold him to me. The embrace lasts long, his head nuzzling into my neck as he murmurs something into my skin. The scent of strawberries engulfs me, and I try to keep the thing in my chest tame, but it bangs and shivers against my rib cage, begging to be released. All the pain I’ve caused...I wince, his lips moving across my skin rapidly. A guilty wave washes over me, but I can barely feel it, overwhelmed with him in front of me. Being pulled snug in his chest makes all my exhaustion finally be realized, as a soft comfort relaxes all of my tensed muscles. Savoring the moment, I play with his hair, the soft strands wrapping around my fingers. He’s so wonderful, and this soft, fragile thing between us is different from anything I’ve felt before. This thing that makes me want to bury myself in him, it’s so warm, friendly…I want him to know how special he is. He’s so different from me. I’m so...bad, but he…

The feeling of his lips moving stops as he presses them onto the soft skin at my neck, dragging them along until pulling away. His eyes are tinted red. “Etsuko…”

“Leon?” my voice breaks as I murmur his name, but still rolls right off my tongue despite my voice lilting. 

“I want you to feel better,” he looks away, wiping at the skin under his eyes. “Do you feel better now?”

“Yeah, I’m better, thanks to you. Thank you so much,” I lean towards him, unable to stop myself from trying to curl back into him. 

“I want you to be happy,” he states, putting a hand on my head, still looking away. “Are you happy right now?”

I pause, still staring at his soft eyes, so at contrast with his sharp jaw and nose. “Whenever I’m around you, I’m happy. So yes,” 

His cheeks tint pink. “Good, good,” he sighs. 

“Are you happy?”

He thinks for a moment, teeth clamping on his lip. “Maybe,”

“Oh,”

“I’m just still a little worried over you,” he shrugs. “If you don’t mind, will you spend the rest of the day with me? I want to keep an eye on you, plus, I enjoy your company.” The usual light humour returns to his voice. 

Something inside of me twists violently. I can’t tell if I’m happy or displeased with his request. “I don’t mind,”

“Cool,” Leon stands, walking over to the door, grabbing the two plates he had brought to the room. “Instead, how about we eat in my room?”

“Oh, okay,” I look around, grabbing my glasses and realizing that there’s a third plate still left in my room, along with a full glass of water. I grab both of the things, still confused how it’s gotten there. The plate is cold in my hands, and I trail behind him. We reach his room, and he sets his plate down on one of the desks that juts out from the wall, a chair on either side. He sets one plate in front of where I am sitting down, staring at the things in my hands, confusion knitting his brow. 

“Where’d you get those?”

“They were in my room,” I place them to the side, Leon’s eyes following the movement of the plate. “You didn’t bring them?”

“No?” his voice stresses upwards, but then he starts to devour his still steaming plate. I suppose our discussion didn’t last too long, short enough for his food to still be nice and fresh. “Wow, this is really good,”

I take a cautious bite, the food not hot enough to burn my tongue, yet still is nice, a sharp difference from the stale taste on my tongue. “You’re right,” I take another bite off the plate Leon gave me, looking over at the one I had brought in. When had that gotten in my room? There’s no one else who could have put it in my room except for Leon, because I certainly don’t remember grabbing a plate full. I take some of the chicken, the sauce dripping onto my heaping of rice. I realize how large my serving of rice is in comparison to the chicken, it takes up over half my plate. 

“Oh, sorry if I didn’t get you enough chicken, this morning you just took rice so I figured you enjoyed it a lot. You can have some of mine if you want,” He offers up some of his, but I shake my head. 

“No, this is perfect, thanks,”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! Today when I checked ao3 I was so surprised to see this has reached 200 hits! like AHHHHHHH it made me so happy to see that people have been checking this out! I'm so flattered that people have been reading this, and I hope that if you are you continue to read and enjoy it! Also, hope this was a good enough chapter to make up for the late upload T-T . Again, thank you all so much for reading! Lots of love! <3


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> heya! this is more of a shorter chapter, so i'm sorry! but i will be trying to post another one today just because this one is on the shorter end!

As we eat, Leon shares small details about his day between bites of food. I listen, smiling and nodding along as he enthuses about Sayaka and Makoto, and how they had walked around the school together. Eventually, he yawns, his plate clean of his food, and he slumps back on his bed. “I need to take a nap, that okay?”

“Yeah,”

“Don’t leave,” he murmurs as he closes his eyes and starts to drift off. I know I’m the thing stressing him out, I’m what is making him take a nap so early, and I shiver. Looking around his room, I smile. It just screams Leon, and I walk over to look at his CD collection, thumbing through the titles. I don’t recognize most of them. Eventually, I grow bored of searching around his room, my fingers itching for something to preoccupy themselves with. 

“I know he told me not to leave,” I say under my breath, but I slip out the door to retrieve the rest of what I need to finish Byakuya’s requests, making sure to go fast so that there’s no opportunity for him to spot my missing presence. When I return, he is still sleeping, and I return to my work, the sound of his soft breaths keeping me company. It’s not very loud, but it’s enough to keep me from thinking of much else, the occasional bad thought slipping through as the needle passes back and forth between my hands.

The sound of him shuffling on top of the blankets doesn’t bother me, and I continue to squint at my work, only stopping when I feel something press against the side of my head. A soft hand brushes my shoulder, and I turn to see Leon’s face next to mine, small crusts of sleep decorating the outer corner of his eyes. 

“You’re up now,” I smile up at him, pulling my head away.

His small beard touches my temple as he talks. “Yup! What’s going on over here?” 

“I’m working on Byakuya’s things. How was your nap?”

“Sweet,” he says simply, eyes flickering over to the complete pair of pants now on his desk, then at the white fabric pressed together with colorful pins. “Looks good so far,”

“Thanks,” Tearing my eyes away, the needle in my fingers begins to move again, creating a tight seam. For a moment, the two of us are just there, looking down as I work on the crisp white shirt I would be giving to Byakuya later. 

Then, Leon’s hand slips off of me, and I hear his steps as he walks away. Soon, he starts to play the guitar, strumming at it a couple times, the same notes repeating, although the pitch is a little skewed with each strum. I hear as he huffs, not being able to accomplish the run he wanted to. “Shit,” he says, and I look over to see his hands gripping his jeans tightly, scrunching the fabric up in his fists. The vein at his temple shows, his face turning slightly red. He’s glaring down at the guitar settled next to him, before he picks it up and tries one more time before setting it angrily back to the side. “Why can’t I-” the rest of his sentence is too grumbled for me to make out. “I knew I would be shit at the guitar, why would I even try, man,” His head falls back as he stares up at the ceiling, his eyes scrunching tightly. Silently, I get up from my chair and sit next to him on the bed, putting my hand over his clenched one. My palm covers the taught veins showing from the strain he’s putting on the muscles there. He doesn’t turn his head to look at me, instead sending me a cutting “ _ What? _ ”

“I like it when you play,” I say, thumb rubbing across his rings as I slip my other fingers beneath his palm gingerly. “It’s not bad,”

“When I get in a band, I’m just gonna be the singer. I can’t write good lyrics, I can’t play an instrument, all I can do is repeat what’s been told to me over and over. I know they told me I was bad for a reason.” His voice turns higher pitched, strained, nasally. 

“I liked the song you wrote a lot, it was really sweet,” I shrug, letting myself lean over so our arms are pressed together, and my head rests on his shoulder as I peer up at his jaw and neck. “I think I can understand that, no matter how much practice you put into something, you still can’t get the result you’re hoping for. But, when you first started playing, surely you didn’t have a clue what to do, right?”

“I was just as shit then, yeah,” 

I shake my head, although he can’t see my movement. “No, you played a bunch of songs yesterday on the guitar, there’s no way you would be able to do that when you first picked it up. You’ve made so much progress since then,” As I speak, the pressure around my fingers heightens, and I realize he’s clutching my hand, short fingernails digging into my skin. “Who told you you were bad?”

“My parents, my teammates, everyone. You were one of the firsts not to say that.”

“I don’t know what they’re on,” I say, moving my free hand to his neck, nudging his head to look at me, in hopes it might make him see I’m telling him the truth. His silver eyes come into view, and they reluctantly gaze into mine. “I enjoy it every time you play. Not only does it sound good, but I can tell you’re really passionate about it. But, if you just want to be a singer, that’s okay too. I just...I just don’t want you to talk badly about playing the guitar when what you’re saying isn’t true,”

“You’re not just saying this because you, uh, like me, right? You mean it?” He can’t seem to decide which of my eyes to look into, his silver irises flickering back and forth across my face. I can see a small gush of pink rise where his teeth are meeting his bottom lip. 

“I mean it, Leon.” I nod, and he releases his hold on his bleeding bottom lip, and I take my thumb and wipe at the blood dripping down it. “Let me get you a tissue for that,” As I move to get up, he pulls me back down, pulling me back into him, embracing me again. My eyes widen, before I relax into his hold. I wonder whether the stress I had put on him had caused him to be upset like this, like the pain I had inflicted had started a domino effect inside of him, and he would start to unravel because of me. When he releases me, I grab a tissue, then press it onto his lip gently, not wanting it to sting him too bad. The thin cloth of it quickly is soiled, and I move it around to a clean spot of the small square, hurriedly not trying to make further a mess of him. As I press my fingers to the barrier blocking it from his lip, I see his checks flush pink, and I realize the weird intimacy of what I’m doing. Part of me is telling me to stop, but I figure it would be even more awkward if I just left the rest of the task to him. Eventually he grabs my hand, moving it off of the tissue and taking it for himself. 

“I don’t get it,” he shakes his head.

My voice is gentle, eyes trained on the pink drying onto the tissue. “Get what?”

“Why you’re being so nice to me, I guess,”

“I think it should be me saying that,” I chuckle, “but if you want an answer, I’m nice to you because I care about you. You deserve someone to be nice to you.”

He hums, nodding his head lightly. “Thanks,”

“There’s no reason to thank me,”

“I won’t then,”

“Good,” 

He starts to talk, telling stories of him and his friends, and something funny he did to his cousin on a random excursion, a prank that ended up failing. As he speaks of his cousin, his tone falters, like he’s guilty of something, and he explains how he wished she was more like me. He explains briefly about her, about how much she cares about him, but the way I’m treating him is distinctly different than the way she would act around him. He must notice my odd reaction, because he assures me by saying “you’re better than her, and I like you more. You’re much better.”

As he starts to speculate different theories about how his cousin has climbed her way to being his team’s manager, a voice interrupts his own. It’s annoying and teeteringly high pitched, like a child’s when they get away with everything. Now, it’s nighttime, and I notice our plates are still in the room. Leon catches me looking at them, and he tosses the tissue away. “I’m sure we can return them real quick,”

Hastily, we make our way down the hallway, dropping off the dishes in the kitchen and running back out of there. For the second time today, my legs feel the unfamiliar strain of this exercise. It’s disappointing, the short burst of speed making me tire so easily. We clamber into my room, both releasing a bout of relieved laughter. As Leon leans against the door, hand over his stomach that aches with laughter, there’s a sudden ringing tone in the room. Stepping away, he backs away, slipping into the bathroom as I open the door. 

“Goodnight Etsuko!” Taka says as I peer at him. 

“Ah, goodnight,” I suddenly appreciate that we hadn’t been caught by the strict rule follower. 

Taka is staring at me still. “Have you seen Leon?”

“Huh? Why?” The pace of my heart quickens, hoping he isn’t looking to inspect my room for the boy. 

“I had ringed his room, and had received no answer.” Taka states, eyes looking over the top of my head. How long had Leon and I been laughing? When did he have the chance to check those rooms while not seeing the two of us sprinting?

“Uh, I’d guess that he’s already asleep, or maybe in the bathroom, but I don’t know,”

“So he isn’t in your room?”

“No, why would he be here? That’s unwholesome,” I repeat his earlier words, and he relaxes visibly as I do so.

Nodding, he steps away from me to bow. “I’m glad we agree. Have a good night,”

“You too!”

He leaves, and I shut the door, Leon stepping in front of me. There’s still a smile resting on his face as he gazes at me. “You ready for bed?”

I glance down at Byakuya’s nearly finished things that I had brought back to my room. Only an hour's worth of work or so would be all it takes for them to be done. It wouldn’t hurt to spend some time finishing up my task. “Give me an hour or so. I’m not too tired yet,” 

“Suite yourself,” Shrugging, Leon flumps down onto the bed, picking up a manga and reading it, his eyes immediately closing with exhaustion, but he still manages to hold the pages open above him. Even after the nap, he doesn’t seem too rested. 

Grinning, I fold all of Byakuya’s things, relieved to have all the pieces he had requested set and done within a day's time. Maybe I was given the Ultimate Seamstress title for a reason. The book Leon was reading is now strewn to the side of the mattress, his boots still on. I wince, rushing to get them off the blanket. What a heathen. Unlacing them, I try not to unsettle him too much from his splayed out position, and they easily slip off, and I gently place the platforms onto the ground, my own boots falling next to them. Next, my hair tumbles out of the tie holding it out of my face, tickling my temple and neck. Turning away from the sleeping boy, I take the bottom of my sweater, and pull it over my head, my glasses smushing into my face. It hurts a little, a twinge of annoyance snapping through me. I take them off, the world going fuzzy all around me. I slip off my shorts, hearing a sharp intake of breath behind me. Whipping around, all I see is a peaceful Leon, and I hope that he isn’t having any kind of bad dream. Once I’ve changed into fully clean clothes, I turn back to the bed, walking around to the side Leon isn’t sleeping on and slipping under the covers, attempting to pull some over him too before lying on my side, back facing him. Snuggling down into my pillow, I hear Leon take another quick breath, and I look over at him, his face remaining peaceful. Every time I have been near him as he slept, he hadn’t snored, so I couldn’t really assume this was going to lead into him making that noise. Maybe it would be better to just leave him alone, his dream might just be super exciting. 

The lights have flickered out, and my feet are cold, despite the weighty blanket pulled tight around me. Shivering, I feel the ghost of when he had been pressed against my back, his warmth infecting me. But it’s just a whisper made up in my mind, I’m frigid on all sides. The awkward loneliness isn’t an aid to the thoughts slipping into my head. If I tumbled down, far down, and a hole swallowed me up, would he-er-anyone notice? Would anyone move to catch me? If I was a victim of this atrocious game, would they care to catch the killer? If I crumpled up, my heart going still, would anyone miss the rhythm of it? And despite all the hurting, violent thoughts that begin to overtake me, one thing remains consistent. The red hair flashing at the back of my mind, the glint of the silver rings in the light, the quirking lip. As the painful storm in my mind subsides, he remains, coming closer and closer, dragging me down into sleep with him. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you so much for reading! i hope that if you're following along this far into the story that you're enjoying it, it means a lot to me that people are reading this. lots of love! <3


	18. Chapter 18

Even when the pantry was empty, when the pockets wouldn’t jingle, and when the lights wouldn’t turn on, we still had one thing. Stories. Books. The tales my great grandfather had collected, passed onto his daughter, then it was passed onto my father, who charmed an American woman with them, until it was me, ragged and bruised, leaning at my mother’s tender side, anticipation pulling at my lips. 

“What’s next? What’s next?” My squeaky voice would call every night when I could still look my mother in the eye. 

Princes, witches, villains, knights in shining armor, lost shoes, melting lions, sly foxes, wise turtles, they danced around in my dreams, before they had been chased out with knives and needles and pain and blood and rejection. My small, chubby, young self had no idea of those things, all she knew was one day, she would grow up and slide into a gown, and she would find someone to love, a perfect hero. They would become someone the world would tell stories about. The birds would chirp and fall onto her fingers, singing her a love song only she could comprehend. 

“Be patient,” My mother had a perfect mask around me, most of the time. I hadn’t been able to hear the exhaustion wracking her everyday. I hadn’t noticed yet. I was too consumed by happy, perfect endings. By sparkling, eccentric ball gowns. 

One night, I had asked her if she had worn one, like a princess, when she had met my father. He had been on a trip to America, spending the money he owed to his college for a getaway from his family. When they eloped, had she chosen a pink one, a blue one, or a purple one? That was before I had seen a picture taken on that day. She was wearing a t shirt and jeans, the denim worn. Her belly looked swollen, probably filled with sweets and cake. 

“Oh, Miss,” her tone was gentle, “You know I chose the very finest one, the purple one,”

“But purple is icky!” I pulled at the small string bracelet wrapped around my wrist. My mother had made it, it was the color of plums. 

My mom hushed me, tugging my wrist away so I would stop fooling with the thing. “It’s the color of royalty. It can’t be icky.”

My tiny shoulders shrugged. “Are you going to tell me a story now?” I whined, tugging at her arm now. 

“I suppose I will, sweetie,” she would sigh. “I’m running out,”

“Of what?”

“Stories,”

I was dumb then. 

“Once, there was a fish, blue and wonderful. She could sing, and her singing made the masses of other fish surround her. They gave her their seaweed, their praise, their food. She was full and happy, always fed in return for the sound of her lovely voice. The mundane, green fish, the ones no one points at in the water, had never encountered such a rare, different sight. Wanting to feast more on the blue fish’s beauty, they offered her everything they had. When they ran out of seaweed, when they ran out of food, they would offer their scales, although they knew none of theirs shone as bright as hers. But she accepted them anyway, her sharp teeth showing in her kind smiles. For years, she would sing, and the other fish at the pond would gather, offering anything they had claim over. And the blue fish always accepted their favors. One day, a koi fish joined the group, white and red scales catching the light of the sun. Finally, the koi had found someone as beautiful as it! And the mundane fish had found someone else to be their idol!

“‘Sing! Sing!’ they demanded, so used to the blue fish’s talents, they assumed every beautiful fish was able to do the same. ‘Not yet,’ the koi shook its head, it’s eyes on the blue fish. ‘Blue fish, won’t you sing for me?’ The blue fish nodded, and began to belt at its hardest. So entranced, the koi approached, nearer and nearer, unable to stop its approach. More than ever, the green fish were frantic to listen to the beautiful song. The koi was nearly touching the blue fish when it stopped its song, beckoning for the Koi to join in. So the koi did, it’s jaw opening up to belt just as loud, but it’s mouth opened so big, and it’s song was so good, the blue fish had swum into the mouth of the koi, and the koi swallowed it up, unknowing. Panicking, the green fish yelled and ran away, but they were too weak to get very far. They had no food, and nothing else to offer the world. The koi was sobbing, ready to accept its punishment for killing such a bright fish. The green fish tried to find more food, but the entire sea had been cleared of any resource.

“A small green fish asked its mommy, ‘mommy, where is my food? I am so hungry,’ and the mommy said, ‘we don’t have any anymore,’ and the baby fish said, ‘why, why don’t we have anymore?’ The mommy fish opened its large, gaping mouth, ready to reply. ‘Because, you wasted it all on the blue fish, so we have none,’ ‘Oh why? Why?’ The baby fish pleaded, ‘Why would I do something so awful?’

“‘Because,’ the mommy fish explained, ‘you were foolish.’ The end.”

I clung to my mothers thin shirt, burying my face in her side. “I don’t get it,”

“It’s just a story,” my mother sighed, “You wanted a story. You didn’t like it?”

“Not really,”

“Ah, well, time for bed still.” 

My mom had picked my up, then set me beneath my sheets, my small body pricked with goosebumps. She pressed a hand to my forehead, then squeezed my cheek, wishing me sweet dreams. 

Months later, I heard my mother yelling, her strange accent coming through in her frantic words. And my father was yelling. It was all near ineligible. My name was added to the mix, but when I stepped in, responding to the call, my mother shooed me away, her skin stretched thin over her face. How old was she? Maybe then, she was much beyond her 30s. 

“May I have a bedtime story?” I had asked, but she frowned.

“Why aren’t you asleep? And no, I’m exhausted, and I’m in pain. I can't give you one. Can’t you see I’m in the middle of-oh, of course you don’t. Now go, go to bed, leave us alone.”

“Oh,” my yellowed front teeth bit my chapped lip. “I’m sorry,” I had run from the room, far far away, to the opposite end of the house, ready to escape to my castle in my room. There, I could twirl and dance, jump and play, acting out me finding my true love, and I could gaze at how beautiful my reflection was, shimmering eyes, flowing hair, painted nails, a gown falling sweetly over my body. But when I had arrived, my room was dirty, my sneaker prints still on the creaky wooden floors. My father would freak out if he learned I had stepped in my room with my shoes on. My nightlight had collected dust, plugged in but not glowing. In my mirror, small and round and handheld, my hair was matted and frizzy. My eyes squinted back at myself, my cheeks had collected a thin layer of dirt from not taking a bath. When I wiped at it, I saw my fingernails had collected a fine line of dirt under them. My shirt had a hole in it near the collar. Who had taken over my body? Rubbing at the footprints left in the room with a soiled sock, I managed to scrub away the clear shape of it, smearing the dirt around messily. When I would wake up, I would be a princess again. 

Togami was at my door again, the second night in a row. It was almost lucky that he had rung one of the many times I had woken up in bed, Leon still spread out next to me. 

“Togami, I’ll get your things, hold on,” I say immediately, grabbing the folded stack then holding it out to him. “This good?”

“It is satisfactory,” he sighs, taking it from me and studying each thing briefly. “Now, I’m leaving,”

“Yup,” 

He walks away, and I go back into my bed, still cold, still annoyed. Every time I skip back into sleep, I’m back in my house, reliving a memory. Whether it is a replaying of when my mother and father left for somewhere else, entrusting me alone, or when they had an argument about whether they should give me up, or when my mother would repeat her lines of how she’s in pain, so I can’t be bothering her. One time, the memory started off half pleasant, I was alone, a plastic bag over my hair, the people staying in my childhood bedroom talking gently with one another, so there was a low murmur in the house. But, that was only before the memory would turn sour. I had walked into my parents room, and decided to go through their drawers to see if there was any storage space I could hide some money in. I had shuffled through drawings and pictures and documents, stopping when I had reached the bottom, seeing a letter with my name written on it a couple times. Unable to stop my nosiness, I had read it, my world blurring by the time I had reached the end of it. Turns out, hidden away at the bottom of a drawer in my parents room, was a letter my mother had written, begging to let go of me. I was too expensive, and I was too burdensome for her at times. She had written that she couldn’t stand to be around me when I was in a mood, or when I started to complain, because it made her feel entirely worse. Sometimes, she couldn’t stand the sight of me, I was a reminder of her failure to start a new life. I had disappointed her, I had kept unloading my problems onto her, even when she had told me she couldn’t handle it. I had slipped the letter into my pocket, thinking the words over and over. It was true, even when she had offered me solutions, I would keep going on about how difficult my life was. When she was sad, I had told her I was sad, in a sad attempt to sympathize. When she was stressed, I hadn’t noticed all the time, and I had stressed her out even more. I had cost her most of her savings, for my clothes, for my food, for my schooling. Even in the public schools, I still needed more notebooks more pencils more erasers more markers. I still asked for a sketchbook after being offered stray papers by her. I had thought I had gotten better, that I had been able to shield more of myself from them, that I had taken some pain off their heavy shoulders, but this letter cemented my worry. All along, I had still been a burden. I had still been a thorn in their sides. 

Playing it back out in my head, I nearly scream when I feel something move behind me. Then I remember, it’s just Leon shifting on the bed. Just...Leon. My heart rate slows back down again, as I think of him behind me, still sleeping, content, peaceful. I’m a little jealous, I admit to myself. The dark expanse in front of me isn't helping my loneliness, and I finally allow myself to turn to stare at Leon’s sleeping figure. I can make it out in the dark, his arm at his side, his other one off the bed, his legs spread wide. His stomach rises up and down slowly. I can hear his light breathing. I can smell his shampoo, still present and distinctly strawberries. I can imagine the lines and curves of his face. I can remember, his arm tugging me close, his face nuzzling my neck, his hair tangling with mine, his warmth driving out the cold. I know I’m safe. 

I’m surrounded by warmth, my face buried down into cloth, except it’s harder underneath than a pillow. Blushing, I open my eyes, something is pulling me close. Something is pressed to the top of my head, and something is tickling the skin beneath my bangs. Everything around me smells fresh and fruity. Leon is holding me close, my face resting against his chest, his head on top of mine. His arm is right around my back, and I’m so relaxed and comfortable I feel myself start to slip back into sleep. I have no clue what time it is, but the easy opportunity to not be awake is irresistible. It isn’t often the chance to go to sleep so quickly is available to me. 

When I am awake next, his chest is rumbling underneath my head. “...look so content when you’re asleep…” Leon’s voice is low and groggy. I don’t stir from where my arms are kept between our chests. “...really are pretty…” half of his words are too whispered for me to make out, it almost sounds like he is talking in his sleep. For a moment, I wonder if he is, but then I feel his hand rubbing gently down the curve of my back. “...hope you don’t mind this…I forgot to take my piercings out didn’t I…” I hear him readjust his head on his pillow. Probably so his earrings don’t press hard against his skin. “Etsuko…” he murmurs, the arm underneath my body picking me up a little as he turns over. Now I’m on top of his chest, his stomach raises underneath mine before heaving out a heavy breath. My name sounds perfect in his gravelly voice, it’s almost husky so early in the day. “Hmm...you’re not awake are you…” I bite back my smile. “Oh…they’re still asleep...alright,”

For, I don’t know how long, he holds me against him, his chest falling up and down as he breathes, occasionally murmuring something then laughing to himself before sobering quickly. Eventually, our time like this is over, I can hear the groan of his stomach, and I stiffen. Gently, Leon pushes me off of him, and he gets off the bed, tucking me under the blankets. I hear the clicking of the bathroom door, before it swings back open a second later, and I can feel Leon’s presence over me. Shaking me, I flutter my eyes open, acting as if I had just woken up. 

“Etsuko, hey, good morning, sorry for waking you up suddenly, but do you know where I set my clothes?”

“Oh, I think I had put your laundry in the washing machine. I’ll go get it,” When I move to sit up, he presses a hand to my chest, pushing me back down. 

“Nah, I got this. I’ll be right back,” Running out of the room, I take the opportunity to change, but then I remember all my clothes are either dirty or in one of the washing machines. Where had I set my dirty laundry? Remembering that I put it in the bathroom, I flush when I realize Leon had probably walked in and seen the small pile. Hopefully he’ll bring my stuff back too. Waiting on the bed, I swing my legs, realizing it was a mistake when my heel bangs against the wooden bedframe. It stings, but subsides quickly. Leon still isn’t back yet. I wonder if the morning announcement has gone off yet. Had I missed it? After around 15 minutes of silence, Leon walks back in the room, his clothes and my clothes all gathered in a pile in his arms. “Got it!”

Throwing my clean clothes at me, I remember that I hadn’t in fact, washed it with my own things. How had he gotten it then? Catching my curious gaze, he tells me, “I remembered you had given it back to me yesterday morning and I had put it in my room.” 

“Ah,” I nod, waiting patiently as he slips into the bathroom, but just like last time he walks right back out. “What’s wrong?”

“You probably wanna take a shower, I don’t wanna hog the space, so I’ll go to my own room,”

Standing up, I high five him as he leaves. “Oh, thanks!” 

Once I’ve finished my shower, a towel wrapped around my body, another around my hair, I hear the doorbell ring. Panicking, I throw on my clothes, rewrapping my dripping hair so I can answer. The doorbell rings again as I open the door, and I am surprised to see Kiyotaka there. “Oh! Good morning Taka!”

“What a fantastic morning, huh?” His smile is wide and bright, and I allow him to walk into my room. “Now then, if you let me interrupt your morning, I need to inform you of something important.”

His serious turn makes me worry a little, but I nod. 

As if he is reciting a line from a play, he says, “No matter how intensely the stormy seas may batter me, I will not fall as long as my feet are firmly planted! You must agree, right Etsuko?”

“Sorry, but I don’t really catch what you’re getting at,”

Continuing, my confusion doesn’t seem to disturb him. “And if you can’t do it alone, just find someone to support you, and you can support them back! That’s how you can overcome any storm!” Now, his fists are raised, his voice raucous. “I was thinking about it last night, and...I decided we all need to really come together.”

“Oh,” I chuckle awkwardly, still not following this rather one-sided conversation. 

“And that was when I realized...Every morning from now on, after the morning announcement, everyone should have breakfast together!”

“We’ve been doing that the past few days though, right? Usually everyone goes to the dining hall around the same time.”

He shakes his head, “We need it to be formal and official, otherwise there are bound to be people who are late, or who don’t come at all. If we all agree, then having an organized breakfast would unite us all!”

“Oh, okay, I get it,”

“And now is the beginning of that fateful day! Please head to the dining hall at your earliest convenience! That’s all for now, but you are already quite late, Yasuraoka! The morning announcement happened nearly an hour ago!”

“An hour?” I flush, “I’m sorry, I hadn’t meant to sleep in so late then.”

“Just make it up now, and I will consider taking this trouble making tally off your record,” He turns and leaves, and I rush to finish my routine, pulling on my boots and trying to fluff my hair with the towel, as if it can be of any use. I end up just leaving my room with damp hair hanging past my shoulders. I run to the dining hall, hoping Taka won’t decide to scold me for my tardiness. When I get there, everyone is already inside, and I find Leon to stand near. His hair is sticking to his forehead, and he nudges me with his elbow. 

“I just took the shortest shower in history,” he whispers, and earns a harsh glare from Kiyotaka, who is starting his address to us. 

“So then, let’s begin our very first ‘breakfast meeting’!” 

Shuffling along, everyone goes to sit at the large white table like they had last time, Togami and Toko still being the exceptions who idle by a table farther away. Luckily, Junko lets me take the seat besides Leon, so now she is sandwiched between Celeste and Hagakure. It’s funny, the two girls with outrageous pigtails sitting next to one another. 

“Everyone, thank you for making time in your busy schedules to come together.” Taka announces, and a few people roll their eyes. 

Leon decides to vocalize his feelings, “I didn’t make time for shit. You dragged me here…”

Kiyotaka doesn’t acknowledge the punk’s interjection. “I know I already mentioned this earlier, but…In order to get out of here, it is essential that we all cooperate with each other. And the first step is this breakfast meeting, to allow us to become friends and build trust!”

Between the shared meals, yesterday’s basketball game and the general friendliness with each other, I thought most of us were already making steps to being friends. 

“So from now on, let’s all meet here in the dining hall every morning after the morning announcement! Now then, let’s eat!” 

Toko begins to laugh excitedly, “You w-want me to eat breakfast with other p-people? I’ve never done that b-before. I’m not s-sure…”

“I’ve never been fond of class meals...hanging out with a couple people in here was enough for me…” Leon scoffs. 

“Well anyway...did anyone happen to come up with any clues?” Junko asks. 

My face flushes with embarrassment, I hadn’t spent any of the past few days trying to look for a way out, in fact, I had prepared to be comfortable staying here, making extra clothing and all. It seems the rest of the room is in agreement, we hadn’t searched, and if we had it had turned pointless.

Junko crosses her arms, pissed off, “Seriously? Nothing at all? Anything, it can be about how to get out, or who’s doing this, nobody has anything!?”

Celeste, turning to the enraged girl next to her, stares her blankly in the eyes. “...You are going to die.”

Most of the people at the table suck in a breath. Junko manages a confused “Huh?”

“If you can’t stop yourself from showing weakness in front of others…you will die.”

“Wh-what the hell? Don’t even freaking joke about that!”

Chuckling, Celeste then gives her a thin lipped smile. “I am not joking. Adaptability is survivability. Did I not say so?” Her words are followed by silence before she speaks again. “So you’d better hurry up and adapt to your new life here.”

Junko’s hands are in tight fists, glaring at the girl next to her. “Have you gone completely insane? Adapt to my new life here? Do you have any idea what you’re saying?”

When Mondo speaks up, his face is a mixed look of confusion and anger. “Yeah, sounds like the girl wants to live here. And hell, more power to her. But shit...” his cheeks turn red, open hands clenching shut. “No way in hell am I living here! I’m gettin’ outta here, I don’t give a shit!”

Celeste is still laughing at the two, “Hmhm. Sure, feel free.”

Junko and Mondo are glaring at the carefree Celeste, the tension in the air making everyone else tense in their seats. Leon is the one to finally break it. “Okay, so...nobody has any clues?”

Aoi is next to speak, the disputing trio still giving dirty looks at each other. “One thing I can tell you is who’s behind all this. Someone who’s totally weird and messed up. Why else would we be trapped here in the first place?”

Leon is raking a hand through his loose tufts of hair, which he has already pulled back to resemble their usual spikes. “Well, sure, it could be something like that. But for right now, actual clues are…” 

“Uhm…” Chihiro’s frail voice is next to speak up, and when I look at her there are tears glistening in her eyes, her face flushed. 

“Huh? What’s up?”

“If you think in terms of people who are really abnormal or bizarre...do you think maybe the person responsible for all this could be a certain murderous fiend?”

“A murderous fiend...Chihiro, do you have some idea who might be behind all this?” Makoto asks, his voice gentle to the meek girl.

Chihiro seems a little less frightened to talk because of the two guys who had prompted her to keep going. “Well...maybe. I mean, I can’t really be certain, but…”

“Certainty is not a concern right now! I’ll allow whatever remarks you may have!” Kiyotaka shouts, and Chihiro puffs up a bit at his approval. 

“O-Okay, well...have you guys heard of Genocide Jack?”

“You mean that serial killer that’s been in the news and all over the internet?” Eyes widening, Makoto leans closer against the table, craning his head to get a better look at the smaller girl. 

“The monstrous villain who’s murdered scores of victims in brutally bizarre fashion…The word ‘bloodlust’ was left at each murder scene, written in the victim’s own blood. Whoever it is, he’s like a ghost. He strikes without warning, and disappears without a trace. And on the internet, they started calling him...Genocide Jack. That about covers it, I think.” Byakuya informs, and I can vaguely remember hearing something similar to that around school, whispers of it among students, and the increased safety drills we had in case that person ever decided to target us. It was contradictory, the murderer only attacking in shadows, and the teachers having us all practice as if such a mysterious threat would just burst in to take some of us down. But, it had been speculated that at some point, the killer would raise the stakes, go further, and make a big show of their kills. A school would give them any kind of attention they were looking for, higher than being a name murmured by adults and children, and have a drink dubbed after them in the bars. 

Hagakure adds onto the dump of Byakuya’s knowledge. “They say he’s claimed over a thousand victims…”

“That’s just an urban legend though, right? I mean even like, ten people would be totally insane.” Eyes leaving Celeste, Junko splays out a manicured hand, bright red nails nearly brushing Hiro’s cheek. Everyone shifts in their seats, the idea that such an infamous killer would want to trap us here to torture us a clear discomfort. Covering her face with her hands, Toko makes low and audible whimpers, while next to me, Leon’s hand ghosts my leg. 

“Anyway, whoever Genocide Jack really is, he’s obviously some kind of super crazy killer.” Shaking her head, Chihiro attempts to rekindle the discussion. 

“And if he really is this ‘ultimate’ psycho, I wouldn’t be surprised if he put together something like this.” Mondo huffs, as perturbed as the rest of us. 

“I mean, they did theorize that their next attack would be even bigger, and this kind of attention would obviously drag more attention to their acts. It’s plausible...” I say, trying to offer any kind of anything to this breakfast meeting. 

Shying away again, Chihiro slumps back in her seat. “But Like I said, I can’t be certain. I don’t have any evidence or anything. It’s just a thought…”

“But if they’re the killer, isn’t that like a killer of a problem for us!?” Leon exclaims, bringing the energy that Mondo had lacked during his statement. 

Confidently, Aoi shakes her head, “It’s okay! Everything’s absolutely, positively, one hundred percent without a doubt gonna be okay! Cuz help’s gonna be here soon, I’m sure of it!”

Dubious, Toko reveals her face, setting her hands back down at her sides. The talk of the killer seems to have shaken her up more than anything else, and I wonder about the possibility that she herself could have been affected by the killer, like if someone she knew had been a victim. “Huh? H-Help?”

“We’ve been stuck in here a few days already, right? Nobody’s been able to contact us, so I’m sure they’re getting worried. I bet they called the police already!” A tell of certainty for her, Hina grabs the collar of her red jacket.

Suddenly, a maniacal laughter begins to echo throughout the room, and Monokuma falls directly onto the middle of the table we are sitting around. I jump back in my seat, nearly tipping over, but Leon pushes me back upright. “The  _ police _ ? You’re putting your faith in the police!?”

Sakura’s gruff voice rings through the room the first time this morning, “What are you doing here?”

Monokuma raises its two short arms to its wide grin, “You guys, seriously...do you understand what role the police exist to fill?”

“Uh, they don’t help women or children?” I ask, but my voice is overshadowed by the bear’s. 

“All they’re good for is being a foil, playing against a villain or anti-hero or evil organization. The bad guys come along and destroy them, and that shows just how badass they really are. Are you  _ sure  _ you wanna rely on such an unreliable group of losers? I mean come on! If you really,  _ really  _ wanna get out of here, all you gotta do is kill!”

Most of the people at the table have wide eyes now, the desperate situation we’re trapped in still taking us off guard. Hagakure starts to laugh loudly despite everyone’s wary stares. 

“Why the hell are you laughing?” Leon’s eyebrows are tilted upwards, his jaw completely slack. 

“I’m just impressed at the total commitment to this whole act.”

Junko scowls, “You’re still going on about that?”

“So mister serial killer psycho freak bastard,” Mondo doesn’t hesitate to throw a slew of insults at the bear standing precariously near his propped up feet. I only hope that Mondo doesn’t go ahead and kick the thing. “What the hell do you want?”

Monokuma repeats what the gang leader called him, saying that he’s impressed with the length of the name he’s been dubbed, stringing Mondo’s patience along as he asks if it’s “German, maybe?”

“We know who you really are!” Mondo yells, but Monokuma just turns his back to him, shuffling along the table away from him. 

“Maybe if I ignore him, he’ll just go away…”

Mondo punches a fist against his palm, staring down at the bear, unbridled anger flaring in his eyes. “Hey! Don’t ignore me, asshole!”

Monokuma continues to do so anyway. “Your life here has already begun and a couple days have gone by, and nobody’s killing anybody!” He tilts his head downward, like he was disappointed. “I thought all you kids were lazy and selfish, and here you are working together. But I’m totally bored!”

“Our lives aren’t some kind of game,” I say, leaning forward in my seat. Whoever is behind this must be eagerly awaiting for one of us to die, to be talking like that! 

Makoto says, “There’s nothing you can say that’ll make us start killing each other…”

Despite Makoto’s affirmation, Monokuma starts to laugh, its red eye glowing brighter. “Wait, I think-yes! Ding ding ding! I figured it out! All the mystery ingredients are here, right people, right place. So why hasn’t anyone killed anyone yet? That’s what I couldn’t understand. But I just realized there was one very important piece missing!” As if he is bashful, one of Monokuma’s arms is scratching at the back of his circular head. 

“Wh-what are you…” Makoto trails off, the expression on his face hopeless. Looking around, the same scared eyes and disbelief are shared by many of us. 

“If you wanna know, I’ll tell ya! It’s a motive!” Monokuma laughs slowly, probably wanting to add some kind of dramatic suspense, then continues, “It’s so simple! I just have to give everyone a motive!”

“Motive? What the fuck are you talking about!?” Mondo seethes. A thick trail of sweat leads from his forehead and down his temple. 

It seems Monokuma is still ignoring the boy. “Oh by the way! There’s something I wanna show you guys!”

“Stop changing the goddamn subject!”

“I have a little video I’d like you all to see.” Monokuma’s voice becomes breathy, making me cringe. “Oh, but don’t worry. It’s not some pervy ‘adult’ video or anything. Seriously, it’s nothing like that! It’s a special video for each of you showing what’s going on outside the school.”

“Outside the school? What are you talking about?” Makoto springs out of his chair, leaning over towards the bear. His expression is as serious as I’ve ever seen it.

The outside world? It seems like everyone is enticed or confused with the suggestion. I don’t know how I feel. It seems we really are trapped here, and if this is a motive for murder, then would I really want to watch mine? What do I have in the outside world that I care about? My parents, of course, the members of my neighborhood that treated me kindly, and the friends I had given my time to. All of them, I have no idea what was happening to them right now. Were they worried for me? My parents wouldn’t be, they were probably working hard at a factory, or an office, or at a store. I was the last thing in their minds. My friends, would they be worried? I never wanted them to be worried, so it makes sense if they hadn’t thought it was unusual that I had stopped contacting them. 

Monokuma chuckles again, “Ooh, Master’s so impatient today! Why don’t you just watch it and find out? Here in the school, there is a specific place you can go that has everything you need to watch the video.”

Kirigiri nods, she seems rather unaffected by the whole situation. “Good, then we can go watch the video right now. But before we do that, I’d like to know.” Her softer expression turns hard and cold, like it usually was on the rare occasions I had caught sight of her. “What are you? Why would you do something like this? What do you want from us?”

Monokuma tilts its head to the side like an inquisitive puppy. “What do I want from you? Well, if you must know,” It pauses, its voice turning bored and flat. He says his next words like they’re simple and easy to understand. “Despair. That’s all.” Quickly, he returns to his jovial and mischievous nature. “If you want to know more than that, you’ll have to figure it out for yourselves. Do whatever you need to uncover the mystery hidden within this school. I won’t try and stop you. Cuz to be honest, it’s entertaining as heck watching you guys search so desperately for answers! So I guess I want amusement from you, too.” As the bear laughs, it jumps into the air and disappears from the room. 

Sayaka is the first to speak up after the bear’s departure. “And once again, he left before we could find out anything useful.”

“Really? I think we learned something  _ very  _ useful.” Kirigiri asserts, her suggestion catching everyone’s attention. “He has no intention of standing in the way of our pursuit of the truth. Interesting…”

“Perhaps, but what about the video he mentioned? I’m very curious to see what’s on it.” Sakura says.

“Same here! Okay, so!” Mondo almost appears pumped up, and his eyes scan over each of us, when his harsh glare lands on me I have to look away, the pressure of making eye contact a bit too much. Eventually, he stops at Makoto, who looks confused as hell, his eyebrows twisted and lips parted in a circle. He seems to have found the person he was looking for, cheering out to the boy, “Hey Makoto! Check this out for us, would ya?”

Jumping in his chair, there’s a flicker of movement at his neck as he gulps. “Huh? Why me!?”

“Cuz you’re closest to the door! That’s the rule, right?” The biker leader smiles cloyingly, making his fist into an encouraging thumbs up.

“R-rule?” Makoto stutters. 

“Hey hey hey hey hey! HEEEEEY!!! You see how passionately I’m begging you!? What’s the big deal? Just check it out real quick!” Is this coercion?

Raising from his seat, a bead of sweat drops from his temple. He doesn’t really have the confidence to decline. “O-okay...I guess I’ll get going, then.” 

“Awesome, thanks! I owe ya one!”

It’s probably be best if Makoto doesn’t go all alone, I realize. If I accompany him, it probably won’t be that bad, and we can figure out together what Monokuma was talking about. It might not be safe leaving him all by his lonesome in a place like this anyway. As I am about to volunteer to go with the lucky boy, Sayaka stands up, sharing the same sentiment I was about to voice. 

“If Makoto’s going, I’m going with him. It’s not safe to walk around this place alone.” Sayala smiles.

Mondo appears even more happier than he was when Makoto finally succumbed to his pressuring. I don’t see why a strong guy like him can’t go, if it’s dangerous then those two might not stand a chance. “Yeah, sure thing. Then we’re countin’ on the both of ya! If anything happens, just yell and I’ll come runnin’!” 

The two leave, the worry on Makoto’s face dissolving as Sayaka skips along with him. Next to me, Leon sighs in relief, probably because he wasn’t chosen as the one closest. 

“Whaddya think that was all about?” Leon asks me, and I shrug.

“I don’t know, but I don’t like the sound of it. I...I don’t think watching whatever he’s prepared for us is a good idea. If it’s a motive for murder, then it probably is going to be something really bad. I mean, it won’t just be a normal video of the outside world.” 

Leon shakes his head, “If it’s about the outside world, it’s gotta be important.”

“It’s not going to be good, Leon.” 

“Yeah, I know,” he sighs, leaning back in his chair. “We’ll just have to see what Makoto and Sayaka think first. What room do you think they’re going to?”

“There was that one room with all those monitors, right? Whatever that room is called, I bet,”

“AV room, right?” he nods, confirming it to himself. “Yeah, AV room. How long do you think it will take them?”

“Well, Makoto seems like a pretty focused guy, so I don’t think too long.” I speculate, Leon nodding along with my words. “So, are we gonna eat breakfast?”

“Yeah, right? I’m starving.” He raises his voice, waving to Taka at the other end of the table. “Yo Taka! Can we eat yet or what?”

Firmly, Taka shakes his head. “We should investigate this first. We will wait until Makoto and Sayaka return and tell us what these videos are.”

Disheartened by the delay, Leon somberly pats his stomach as if attempting to console it. I wish I could do that kind of calming motion to the furious pace of my worried heart, the entire idea of those videos unsettling me to the core. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks so much for reading! lots of love! <3


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey! i just want to warn that kanon nakajima will be in this chapter, so if she will upset you, please be cautious while reading this

Eventually, between murmurs, we hear the taps of someone’s shoes, and I look to see Sayaka running into the room alone, a smile on her face. “We found the videos! Follow me!” Leon is the first to rise from his chair, jogging to catch up to her. I run after him, tugging at his sleeve for him to wait for me, but I notice how annoying that is and I let go. 

“What’re the videos like?”

“I dunno, I just came back to tell all of you!” Sayaka grins up at him, then moves to talk to Hina and Sakura behind us. Leon’s pace slows, and I slow down with him, until we are at the back of the group, staring at the back of everyone’s heads. 

“What’s up, Leon?” I ask as we pass by classrooms, concerned at the sudden loss of the pep in his step. 

“I just...I thought Sayaka would talk to me longer,”

“Oh, I’m sorry,” Unsure what to say, I pinch my leg sharply. Leon doesn’t notice, his eyes gazing down at his shoes. 

A sharp elbow to my side makes me jump. “Why are you apologizing, you can’t change that,”

“Oh,” I say. 

We are nearing the AV room, and I hear a muffled yell from inside, and Sayaka pushes open the door. Eventually, I am able to peer past everyone and into the room, where Makoto’s face is red with anger, his brows furrowed, his knuckles white in a clenched fist. His whole body is trembling. His eyes are wide like he has just seen a ghost. What the hell has he seen? He points sullenly at a cardboard box on top of a monitor. 

“Is that what Monokuma was talking about?” Leon steps in front of me to look inside. 

Taka is approaching the box, craning his head down to look inside. “What’s on them?”

I lean over so I can see what is going on. Makoto remains looking ghastly, and my own heart starts to pound with worry. Unconsciously, I am stepping forward, but end up just walking into Leon’s side. Everyone moves toward the box, hands reaching inside to pull plastic rectangles out. While the crowd is surrounding the monitor, I inch toward Makoto, looking at his face. He doesn’t seem to notice my presence next to him, he’s too focused on the people all searching inside the box. A few people are rushing over to the monitors, and I see Leon moving around to try to squeeze between two people fishing inside the box. 

“Makoto,” my voice is gentle, and the boy looks over to me, jumping when he sees me. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you,”

“Ah, no, no,” he shakes his head. 

“What scared you? It was the video, wasn’t it?” he nods to my questions. “I...can I ask what you saw?”

He bites his lip, shaking his head fervently in a decline. “I...I can’t believe it…”

“Makoto, whatever you saw, I’m sorry, I should have come here with you to make sure nothing bad happened. If I had just tagged along, then this wouldn’t have happened, right?” A rush of guilt washes over me. I wasn’t doing a very good job at protecting people, and now my attempt to calm Makoto down was failing. “But, whatever horrific thing was on the video, it can’t be real, it’s probably just some stunt by Monokuma. These ‘motive’ videos, they all gotta be some crazy thing Monokuma made for its own sick enjoyment.”

Makoto shakes his head again, and I realize I probably won’t be getting anywhere talking to him right now. Looking back over to the box, the crowd has left, most people seated at the monitors, headphones pulled over their ears. Leon is walking over to a monitor, and I chase after him, grabbing the back of his jacket. When he looks down at me, his face is stiff. 

“Leon, are you going to watch that?” 

“Yeah, my name is on it,” 

I shake my head. “You can’t, you can’t. Makoto watched his, whatever on it is going to hurt you. He was barely responsive, he’s shaking. Please, don’t watch it. It isn’t going to be good. It probably is some fake taunt Monokuma made.”

“If it’s fake, then it can’t be too bad to watch,” Shrugging, he takes a step away from me. I clutch onto his jacket. His brows contort downward, “Etsuko, come on,”

“I’m sorry, I don’t mean to bother,” I can’t bear to look at the disappointed look on his face. “But you  _ can’t  _ watch the video, please. I don’t want you to be scared, I don’t want whatever the video is to hurt you like it hurt Makoto. It isn’t a good idea, or a decent idea, to watch that thing. I promise. It’s just gonna be bad. Please, Leon,” I beg, but I feel his hand on the ones grabbing his jacket, and he pulls them away. Swiveling on his heel, he returns his stride over to a monitor. My eyes glance at the movement of his shoulder blades behind his shirt, at his hips as they sway side to side slightly as he walks away. He’s shaking his head. He’s pulling out a chair. Unsure what to do, I lung forward, wrapping my arms around his torso, burying my face into his back. He’s warm, like he always is. “Leo-”

“ _ Etsuko, _ ” Twisting around, he places a hand on my head, shoving it away, but I push it closer to him. “Come on, let me watch it. You can’t stop me.”

“I'm supposed to be your friend. I’m supposed to take care of you. I can’t do that if you don’t  _ listen to me!  _ This video isn’t going to be good, please, you can’t watch it. It’s called a motive for murder for a reason! You can’t watch it!”

His voice is exasperated. The arms that have snaked around his torso, holding him in place, wrap tighter. He’s soft around his stomach. And he’s so warm. “Yasuraoka,” I’ve exhausted him. I’m failing him. “I’m going to watch this, I need to know what is going on outside. Why I haven’t been saved yet.”

“I...I can’t let you watch it. After seeing what happened to Makoto, I can’t let you go through that! I’d rather I go through that than you! Here, let me watch it first, and I can tell you if it’s bad or not. Please, let me do this for you.”

I feel his stomach rise and fall in a sigh. He pushes my arms away, conceding to my offer. “Fine, Etsuko,” I can hear the anger in his voice. He hands me his disc, and I shoo him away. As I slide the disc into the player, I make sure Leon is at the opposite end of the room. I set the headphones over my ears, preparing to watch the video.

At first, there is just static snow on the screen, but then I see a smiling girl, chestnut brown hair swinging by her shoulders, held away from her face with a sweet black bow. Her grin is wide while she stares at the camera, then she starts to mouth something, approaching the camera and it shakes. Then, it flickers over to the girl throwing a baseball up and down, up and down in her hand. Then, it flickers back to her in front of the camera, up and close, flexing a bicep. Her voice floods the headphones, slightly muffled, but still pretty. My cheeks warm. 

“You impressed?” she asks the camera person, who responds in a familiar voice, smokey and humorous. Leon’s voice. 

“Yeah! Let’s do this Kanon! I believe in you!”

The girl, Kanon, runs over to the center of the baseball diamond, still grinning. Her skirt is blown back in the wind. Quickly, she gets there, Leon zooming the camera closer to her. “Alright!” she yells to the camera, “Watch this!” She grabs a baseball from the ground, getting into a pitcher’s position. Then she throws it, a small machine standing nearby reading 87m. Picking up the next one, she throws it again. It reaches 94. 

“Go Kanon! Good job!” Leon is laughing happily. Not at her, but he seems impressed with the girl. 

“You’re wack, I didn’t do all that good,” Kanon is running back to the camera, her palm covering it as they switch, so now the pair are standing next to each other, Kanon’s arm that isn’t holding up the camera slung over Leon’s broad shoulders. I know it's Leon, but he looks almost like a completely different person. His hair isn’t red, but a darker brown, and it’s buzzed short. All of his piercings are gone, as well as his small beard. His arms are toned, his white tank top blowing to the side from the wind. His wide smile is still the same though, the pleasant gleam to his eyes. “Smile at the camera!” Kanon’s joyfulness is back now that she’s next to Leon, whose hand is messing with Kanon’s hair. “I’ll remember this day forever!” The video freezes on the two, happiness radiating off of both of them. Kanon is his cousin, right? They looked so happy together, and it seemed so real...how had Monokuma gotten this footage? The screen flickers back to snow for a moment, before it shows Kanon again, the camera held still, sun glaring down at the baseball diamond she is standing near. She adjusts the camera a little bit before smiling. 

“Training day...uhm...what day is it? Day 27? I don’t know, but this is me training to fulfill the bet between me and my big brother! Hey Leon! You’re probably watching this after I threw the ball 160 meters per hour! It means that I won the bet! I’ve been working really hard for this…” she looks away from the camera, blushing, “I love you, Leon, I can’t wait to see your face when I show you my 160 meter throw. Then, you’ll finally like me! It’ll be great, just like I dreamed!” Her words unsettle me a little, remembering the way Leon had described her before, like she was an annoying little sister. Jogging over to the center of the diamond, she picks up a baseball and throws it, the machine displaying her pitch speed showing the number fifty. Faintly, I hear her groan in frustration, before throwing another. It doesn’t go any faster, and I wonder how her number has significantly lowered. 

If this is going to be the same type of video that had struck such terror into Makoto, then I could feel a bitter twist approaching as the picture is covered by static, then it displays a raging fire, the large fenced wall around the baseball diamond torn and slumped over. The trees that had bowed slightly to the wind before were now engulfed in red, and the machine Kanon had used to measure her pitch was broken into pieces. A black ribbon, one identical to the one strung in Kanon’s neatly cut hair, flies through the air, twirling and dancing around. I gasp, my throat drying. It almost looks like some kind of warzone. The next voice that speaks is familiar, but it doesn’t warm my heart like Leon’s had. It is the shrill pitch only Monokuma had. 

“Leon Kuwata, a baseball star that had an obsessed little cousin, who supported him no matter what. But, it seems like...something’s happened to the place where his little cousin would go everyday to practice! The place where she spent over half of her day training to get that legendary 100km pitch Leon Kuwata was so renowned for! Oh man, this is bad! What could have possibly happened to the happy girl who came here all the time just to impress the boy she loved?” 

The bear’s words perturb me, the way it's talking about Kanon’s feelings for Leon just worsening my concern, but that was probably the least of the horrors in the video, somehow. The chaotic scene fades away, replaced with a black screen, that reads in orange, triumphant letters, “Look for the answer after graduation!”

What even is this? The outside world isn’t some kind of raging warzone, so how had something horrific happened like this? What had happened to the determined Kanon? Surely, Leon would have been told if something so awful had happened, so how could in the span of four days something like this happen? Despite the video not being meant for me, I start to shake, unable to look away from the words on the monitor. Anger bubbles inside of me, and I take the disc out hastily, my tremulous fingers somehow managing to put it back in the rectangular case. Pulling it close to my chest, I have to inform Leon that the video was bad. It is some kind of twisted setting Monokuma had set up after finding Kanon’s footage, he must have edited a picture of the spot to show something so awful. It couldn’t be real, sudden tragedies like that rarely happen in real life. I turn, staring at my feet as I run back to where Leon is leaning against the wall, his eyes shut as if he was going to take a nap. I slump onto him, shaking my head. My legs are weak, barely able to support my weight.

“Woah, woah, Etsuko, you watched it? Give it to me, now,” Leon pries me off of him, seeing the case held tightly in my hands. I try to push myself back into him, wishing that I could just fall into his warmth. 

“No, Leon, please listen to me, you can’t watch it, it’s not good. I...if you watch this, you won’t be happy, and it will be all my fault.”

“Damn, just let me watch it! I need to know!”

“No!” I cry, his shirt blurring in front of me into clouds of red and white. “No! I can’t let you, I can’t let you, I care about you too much to let you watch it!”

“Yasuraoka, give it to me, it’s mine, I need to know what’s going on in the outside world! What’s happening to my family! To Kanon!”

The name twists in my gut, and I try to back away, but he’s got me tight in his hold. If I were to look at his face, I know I will find an endless amount of anger on it, all directed towards me. “Trust me, Leon, you can’t watch it,”

“I’ll do as I damn well please! Give it to me or I’ll...I’ll take it from you with force. Yeah! That’s what I’ll do! So don’t be stupid or anything!”

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” I plead, still holding it in my arms. “I don’t mean to be stupid, but I don’t want you to get hurt, I’m sorry,”

The fury and rage in his voice is unrestrained, and it tears my heart to pieces. “Shut up with that! Just shut up! Let me have it!”

I wrench away from his grip, choking on the air in my throat. He grabs the rectangle that I’m holding, tugging it away. Of course, I’m weak, and it starts to slip from my grasp. A small burst of adrenaline is letting me still have some grip on it. Then, he shoves me, pulling the disc easily away as I fall over, unable to try to stop my trip onto the hard ground. The back of my head hits the floor, sending a rush of pain all throughout my body. Everywhere, I’m hurting, and Leon is stomping away. A gruff voice says something, but I can’t decipher the words, it’s just a jumble of random sounds, muffled and splitting my head. A higher voice is yelling now, but it’s still unintelligible. I am frozen on the ground, unable to find any strength in my muscles. Right now, Leon is watching his cousin Kanon, smiling and trying her best to impress him. Soon, the happy vision will be destroyed, and it will all be my fault for letting him have it. For lying still on the cold floor as his heart shatters. More cries from different voices ring through my head, but they are just as hazy as before. I need to get up. I need to run over and stop Leon. I need to be strong. I need to protect him. One voice sounds relatively calm, but I can’t tell who’s. The ceiling above me is pitch black, a few dim lights hanging from it. Suddenly, two strong arms pick me up, and I see Kirigiri in front of me. Her mouth is moving, but I can’t tell what in the world she’s telling me. Probably, she’s scolding me for getting hurt. One of her brows twitches upward as she leans closer and says something again. 

“What?” I say, but I can’t tell if my own voice is even saying the right words. “What are you saying?”

Her eyes widen a fraction as she probably realizes what is going on. I feel her hand wrap around my wrist, and she pulls me past Naegi and out of the room, helping me sit next to the wall, away from all the noise in the other room. She starts to say something, but then starts to move her hand through the air, spelling out ‘wait here’ for me. I nod, and she leaves. Her departure is followed by a flicker of movement in front of me, going the opposite direction where Kirigiri had walked. 

Leon is in there. He’s probably watching the world of the person he cares for most shattering, her black ribbon taunting him. He’s probably fuming with anger, at Monokuma, at me. Leon is in there, without me. He doesn’t need me, I remind myself. My attempts were useless, and now he is in pain. And I am alone in the hallway, my head lolling to the side, so heavy on my shoulders, my eyes can’t help but shut, and the ringing in my ears, so alarming, doesn’t stop.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you so much for reading! the timeline of Leon and Kanon's relationship is so jumbled, and none of it makes sense. i'm so confused so i'm just going to alter the timeline a little bit. supposedly he made the bet with her when he was 17, which was also the year that the tragedy was occurring and he was locked inside of hope's peak??? and then he was able to visit her for new years during his first year at hope's peak and that was after making the bet with her?? so he's 17 then too but he's supposed to be locked inside of Hope's Peak, or he is supposed to be 19 during the time of the game?? idk it's really confusing so in this he would have made the bet during the vacation he had before starting at hope's peak, so Kanon would have started training to do the throw before the period his memory was wiped!


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted to warn that Kanon is going to be talked about in this chapter.

When my eyes flutter open, I’m in a bedroom, the bright red walls stinging my blurred eyes. There's a weight on top of one of my hands, and I look down to see ringed fingers curling around it. Leon is sitting in a chair next to the bed, head craned back as he sleeps. A veil of sweat runs down his forehead, and I feel his hand twitch to squeeze mine. A nightmare. Probably caused by the video I hadn’t kept him from watching. As I recall what had happened, my gut twists, and I know I don’t deserve his presence waiting for me, for his hand to be wrapped around mine. There’s a pressure around my head, and my free hand reaches up, feeling some kind of wrap around it. 

“You’re awake,” a calm voice says, and I see Kirigiri approaching me. “Can you understand me?”

I nod, opening my mouth, but no sound comes out. My tongue is dry, and when I swallow, it stings. 

“You have some kind of head injury. Luckily, you weren’t bleeding, it might just be a mild concussion.” she explains, standing over me. “You should drink some water,” 

With Kirigiri's help, I sit up, my hand still covered by Leon’s, who spasms and squeezes it occasionally. Kirigiri also holds up a glass to my lips, and the water is heavenly. She’s too kind, spending her time to help me. Once I’ve downed the whole thing, she sets it back down. 

I croak, “Thank you, Kirigiri,”

“You’re welcome.” She nods, lips in a firm line. “Here, take these also,” She hands me my silver rectangular frames, and I slide them onto my face. 

“What happened with everyone else?”

“Everyone is pretty angry, or suspicious, generally, there’s an upset. We know Monokuma was trying to make us distrustful, and he is trying to get a rise out of one of us. A rise so dramatic that one of us ends up dying.” 

“I should have stopped them, after I saw what happened to Makoto. I was useless to help them, I’m sorry,”

“Don’t apologize to me. It isn’t your fault. We each chose to watch our videos. Everyone needs to just calm down, and we’ll be able to investigate more.”

“You don’t seem too upset,” I point out, and her lip curls, almost into a smirk.

“I’m not. I’ve accepted what I saw, I know it’s just a tool to try to make me want to get out of here. I’m going to, but not by murdering someone.”

“I see,” I gaze back over to Leon. I wish he was awake, his eyebrows are tensed, and he hasn’t stopped sweating. “Why is he here?”

“He insisted on staying with you, saying it was his fault you were hurt. He did push you, so I guess he felt guilty. I had to calm him down though, it was difficult. In the end, when he saw you patched up, sleeping happily, he was able to settle there.” Kirigiri informs me, and I blush at her words. “I don’t know if he’ll still be okay when he wakes up, however. It’s likely he will freak out when he remembers the video.”

“Oh,” I murmur, looking down at his hand. 

“Etsuko,” My attention is brought back to Kirigiri, who is looking at me sternly. “You didn’t watch your own video, did you?”

Shaking my head, I reply, “No,”

“Why not?”

“When I saw Makoto’s reaction, I felt I had to stop others from watching their video. I tried to stop Leon, but it didn’t work.”

“So, I assume you watched his video?”

“Yeah, I tried to bargain with him, that if I watched the video I’ll tell him if it’s bad or good, whether he should watch it or not. I watched it, but no matter what I said, he still took it from me and saw it. It’s my fault,”

“Would you mind if I took your video?” 

“Why?”

“If there are any clues, or if I can find a pattern. I was planning on watching the others too, without asking, but I figure I could get at least your approval.”

“I don’t want anybody to be hurt,” I bite my lip, unsure. “You don’t seem very bothered, so I don’t see why not. Just, just don’t let anyone else take it. I don’t think anyone cares, but still…”

“I understand. Thank you.” She walks away from the bed. “I’ll take my leave now, goodbye,”

“Bye,”

Then, she’s gone. It is a mystery to me, if her video was as bad as Leon’s, how is she still so...unaffected? It concerns me, but I can’t question her about it. She would probably just shrug me off. Looking back to Leon, I lean over so I can wipe the sweat from his head. It’s gross. There isn’t a blanket over me, and looking around, I recognize the microphone, the guitar, the different speakers. Leonhad brought me to his room, and I was now in his bed. Wasn't he angry with me? Why hadn’t he just left me alone, like he should? I had just caused more trouble for him, I wasn’t worth the time he dedicated to looking after me. Why does he insist on caring about me? 

When he wakes up, I wait to be berated. His hand is removed from mine, and he stands up from his seat, looking down his nose at me. “Etsuko,” he breathes my name out. “I’m glad you’re okay. You’re okay, right?”

“Yes,”

“Good, good. Now, I have to go. I can't be around you.”

“Oh,”

And he’s already out the door. What did I expect? I’m alone, in his room, and I can't help but think of how awful I was to him. I was a nuisance, a stubborn barnacle on his side. I had raised my voice at him, causing such a scene. And in the end, I had gotten nowhere. He is mad at me, and he saw the video. Everything had gone wrong. My body, soft, small, fragile, is still on his bed. I can’t move my legs too much, an overwhelming pain flowing through them with every attempt. Kirigiri didn’t seem to believe it was very serious, so for now, I have to wait. And until I can move, I will be solitary, silent, useless. Whenever I think of Leon, all I can imagine is his enraged expression, his harsh voice, the mean words I deserved for being such a burden. I thought I had started to make myself more than that. Better than that. But, I had really just made myself even worse. It shouldn’t have been as surprising as it was. 

“Hiro,” I greet the tall boy who takes the seat Leon had been in. “Hey,”

He looks at me, forcing a smile. “Etsuko! Nice to see you doing better! I was sent here to give you company.”

“Thank you, you’re good company.” In the back of my head, I can’t help but wish for Leon to be the one who has sent him. “You aren’t doing okay, are you?”

He looks quizzically down at me. “Huh!? What? Why wouldn’t I be doing great?”

“The video. I’m sorry,”

“Nah, it’s alright. I’ll be alright, haha,” 

I reach up, pressing my hand to his bicep. It is clear that he is trying to hide that the video was bothering him. “It’s okay to be upset about it. I am too.”

“I ain’t upset about it,” his tone turns gruff, and he jerks away from my touch. 

“Hiro.” I sigh, unsure how to support him while he is pushing me away. I had failed at helping Makoto, then Leon, and now I would fail at helping Hiro, further cementing my uselessness. “Well, if you are feeling upset about the video, it’s okay. I understand, the one I watched was awful. If you want to talk to me about your video, I’ll be more than glad to listen to you. You don’t have to pretend you’re alright,”

“Who said I was doing that?” Now, he’s panicked, waving his hands through the air. “I’m fine, alright? Never said I wasn’t, ya know? All of this is some crazy play being put on by the school, why should I be worrying? You’re the one worrying!”

“Uhm,” There’s a sharp pinch on my leg. I piece together a way I can get Hiro to be truthful with me. “You’re right, I am worrying. I tried to help Makoto after he watched his video, but I couldn’t. He was shaking, and really scared, but I couldn’t help him. And then I couldn’t stop Leon. I couldn’t help anyone. And now, I want to help you Hiro. Something is bothering you, and I don’t know how I can help you. It’s alright if you don’t want to talk to me though, I get it.”

“Oh,” he shrugs, relaxing down into his chair, his hand raising to cup his chin. Closing his eyes, he slips into thought. “Well, I just don’t want to bring you down, Yasuraoka. I’ll admit, I am a lil worried about my mom.”

“You won’t bring me down, Hiro! I like talking to you.” I answer, the truth of the words tasting sweet on my tongue. “I worry about my mother too, sometimes, I can kind of understand.”

“Yeah, my mom was in my video.” he slumps further in his chair. His voice has lost its usual carelessness, instead he just sounds tired. “Dunno what happened to her,”

“I’m sorry, Hiro.”

“My moms the person I love the most, she raised me. Seeing her in the video, made me worry a bit. Bout if this really is fake.”

“Your mom must have done a good job raising you, you’re pretty cool.”

“I know,” He smiles. “Thanks, dude. You helped me out a lot. Now, I got another favor to ask,”

“What is it?” I turn my head slightly to the side, curious. It seems he had gotten most of his worry over the motive video out, he looked more energetic now, ready to face the rest of the day. A sense of pride enters me, I was finally able to help someone. 

“I’ll be blunt, there’s a bunch of gangsters after me!” His face turns panicked again, and I reached out to him, trying to calm him down.

“What, why? Are you going to be okay?”

“Because, I might have pressured this girl with ties to the mob to take out her whole life savings, and now I’ve been on the run! And I snuck into this school, and they’re still gonna be after my guts! But I love my guts! They’re great, they’ve worked my whole life! So, here’s the favor I need. They need me to pay this huge amount, way more than I’ve got! And black market organs are high in demand! Please, can I have some of yours?”

My eyes widen, and I lurch backward from him. My organs? The desperate look on his face, the tears starting to form in his eyes as he pleaded with me. “Oh, uhm…” He seems to really need something to sell, and out of everyone he wanted my organs?

“Yasuraoka, just one would be fine! One is all I need to fend ‘em off for some time!” Now his hands are clapped together above his head, as if he were going to pray. 

For a moment, I try to think. Did I have an organ I could give him, one I didn’t need? Maybe I could just give him all of my organs, he seems really desperate, and even if that meant I would die…

“I see! If not your organs, how about your identity! Bet there’s a bunch of people who would pay a lot for that!”

“My identity?” 

“Oh, come on! Don’t be so selfish!” Hiro frowns, looking away from me. 

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to be selfish, I guess I could spare like, a kidney or something. Would that help you?” My words rush out, not wanting him to be mad at me. If I sold my identity, would that be so bad? Hiro really seems upset, lips curling and skin beading, and I don’t want him to hate me after he had shared his worries with me. 

His face lights up, the desperation on it gone. “Really? Thank you so much Yasuraoka! That means I won’t have to use any of my retirement money!”

“R-retirement money?” I repeat as he wraps me up in a hug. Well, at least he is happy. 

“Yeah, for when I retire.” He nods, releasing me after crushing my arms and torso. “Thanks again!”

“Uh, sure,” I feel a little wary now, but the smile on his face is worth...sacrificing a kidney. It’s not like he would be taking it now, so I still had some time left with it, I guess. 

Hiro starts to tell me about different things he’s collected, and different clients he’d met while telling fortunes. As he indulges me in different stories, it’s apparent that he isn’t very good with money, often ‘acquiring’ different trinkets from his clients to sell, or pressuring them into paying him more. I don’t know how much time I’ve spent in Leon’s bed, but when Leon returns, he seems shocked to see Hiro and I still in his room. Looking at him, I can see his eyes are bloodshot, his cheeks flushed to a bright red. The skin around his wide eyes is puffy, and I feel a pang in my chest. 

“Hey Leon! I’ve been doing a good job keeping her company!”

“Yeah, yeah, I’m sure you have,” Leon’s voice is taught, his eyes still on me. “I need to talk to them, can you leave?” Nodding, Hiro gets up, bidding us both goodbye. Leon takes a seat at the end of the bed, hand playing with the thin sheets beneath me. “Etsuko, I need to talk with you,”

“I heard,” my voice is soft, my eyes still trained on his. “I’m sorry Leon,”

His hand tightens around the pale fabric. “For what?” he looks at my face, and I can see clearer the full extent of his agony. It’s glassy on his face, his eyebrows furrowed, his lips cracked, the silver of his eyes clouded over and tinted red. 

“For not being able to help you at all, I couldn’t stop you, and I just kept trying to stop you, and I was useless,”

“Don’t blame yourself for this,” Leon shakes his head, running a hand through his flattened hair. It hangs down over his face, brushing against his thin eyebrows. “It’s not your fault.”

I shake my head, “I hurt you,”

“Hurt me?” 

“Yeah, I kept nagging you, and I just made you wait longer to see the video, and I couldn’t stop you from watching it, I was so useless.”

“No,” his voice is soft, strained. “No,”

“And while you were watching the video, I couldn’t be there for you,”

“None of this is your fault,” he insists. “It’s whoever is behind all this. You didn’t do anything wrong.”

“Oh,” I gulp. Why is he being so nice to me after I had made it so hard for him?

“I don’t know why I didn’t listen to you, I know you have the best intentions. But, I think no matter what, I would have ended up watching it. I just wish I hadn’t pushed you, because now you’re-” he gestures at my body. “All injured and stuff. I’m sorry for pushing you, Etsuko, and I’m sorry for being so harsh. Looking back, I don’t know what the hell I was thinking, saying all that to you,”

“I don’t want you to apologize, I understand why you did what you did-”

“I’m apologizing anyway.” Leon states firmly, making me shut up. “Can I tell you what I’m thinking?”

“Of course, yes,”

“Kanon, I had challenged her to this bet. Because, well, I was always around with a bunch of different ladies, and I always felt someone was following me. After a while, I caught Kanon, and I never realized she liked me that much. See, she had confessed her love to me a whole bunch, like, all the time. And, when I figured out she was following me, I figured she was hurting a whole lot, and maybe I was too nice to her, but I challenged her. If she could throw a 160 meter pitch, something easy to me, I would consider her romantically, but other than that, I wouldn’t talk to her. She agreed, and she kept on practicing. The video you saw where we were together, it was a time I had visited her before the bet, she wanted a video log of us, so she could look back on it when I came here. So I recorded her video for her. I think, I think that was one of the last times I talked to her. And now, something must have happened to her, and, well, she probably thinks I hate her. She even was my baseball team’s manager, but I didn’t speak to her then, when I showed up at games.” As Leon spoke, his voice breaks, recalling the events between them. My eyes shoot wide, and I try to think of how to respond to that. 

“I’m sorry, Leon,”

He looks up at me, “Hmm?”

“The video, it’s awful. You really cared about her. And she...are you okay? Your cousin stalked you? She...she didn’t ever do anything worse than that, right?”

“Huh?” Leon appears a little shocked by my words. “Yeah, I’m okay, she didn’t go further than that. It’s just...she is like a little sister to me...so I am pretty weirded out by her feelings, but I don’t want to hurt her. She was trying really hard to get me to like her, and I could tell she was in a lot of pain whenever I rejected her, or when I went out with a different girl. I didn’t want to hurt her.”

“I...I’m so sorry Leon, that things turned out like that. But, it’s not your fault. You don’t owe her any romantic feelings. You don’t owe her any reciprocation. Her feelings...it’s not something you should have to deal with. You never did anything to intentionally hurt her,”

“Yeah, yeah,” he sighs, his shoulders heaving down. “What do you think has happened to her? You saw her ribbon in the video, right?”

“Yeah, I saw the ribbon, but, I really don’t know, sorry. I’d like to believe that it is fake, but I really don’t know Leon.”

“It’s alright,” Leon stands up, offering a hand to me. I take it. “Let’s get something to eat,”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for reading! <3


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